Bend FD provides shoe traction for senior facilities

Fall and injury prevention continues to be a considerable challenge across the country.

Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among adults 65 and older, and 10,000 people in the United States turn 65 every day.

Captain Karl Findling (ret.) and Deputy Fire Marshal Susie Maniscalco of the Bend Fire Department know that most falls can be prevented, especially those caused by environmental reasons, such as snow and ice.

“We evaluated our emergency response data from January of 2016 to January 2017 and discovered that our highest months for falls were December and January, when residents are outside, exercising or walking their pets in icy conditions” Findling said.

So they turned to the Helen Lorenz Foundation and St Charles Bend, seeking funding sources to help them implement a new project targeting residents of senior care facilities in Bend with a way to prevent falls in icy conditions

They were awarded a total of $1,050, which funded a total of 60 pairs of traction devices that were distributed to the top 10 senior care facilities that generated the most emergency responses for falls.

“We felt we could help, in some way, to prevent these types of falls by providing traction devices that residents can borrow when snow or ice is present,” Findling said.

Maniscalco added, “The goal of the project is to remove those components that don’t help in preventing these debilitating falls. Most older adults who fall and are transported to the hospital never make it back home and are instead taken to a long-term nursing home.”

Bill Weir, a Cascade of Bend Retirement Community resident, said he feels so much more confident when taking his black lab puppy for a walk. “These devices are going to be very helpful this winter,” he said.

Bend Fire will track emergency response statistics between January 2018 and January 2019 to evaluate if the project has made an impact on the number of falls on slippery surfaces.

This project complements an existing fall prevention program which uncovers harmful high-risk fall factors in and around the home.

The Bend Fire Department also offers free home safety surveys to help identify fall hazards, such as slippery rugs, clutter and poor lighting, and offers recommendations to eliminate these dangers. To schedule a free home survey, call 541 322-6309.