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Fall
Prevention Tip Card
Fall Prevention
Fact Sheet
 Falls
In Virginia, falls are the leading cause
of unintentional injury to children. The type of fall a child
experiences may depend on his/her age and developmental ability.
Very young children often fall from baby walkers, nursery
room equipment. Toddlers and preschoolers are most at risk
for window falls and balcony falls. Older children often fall
from playground equipment and during sports and recreational
activities. Adult supervision, home modification, and informed
product selection can help reduce the likelihood of childhood
falls and fall-related injuries.
Virginia Fall Statistics 2003
- There were 398 deaths that were attributed to falls, making
falls the fourth leading cause of death in 2003. The fall
death rate was 5.39 per 100,000.
- Falls accounted for 15% of unintentional injury related
deaths.
- There were 14 suicide deaths from jumps.
- Whites were almost 2 times more likely to die from a fall
than blacks.
- There were 13,740 fall-related hospitalizations in Virginia
in 2003, making falls the leading cause of injury related
hospitalization for a rate of 186 per 100,000.
- The median charge per episode of care was $14,412; the
average length of stay was 5.3 days.
- Over 265 million dollars were billed for falls, and the
government was the expected payer for 70% of discharges,
and private payers for an additional 24% of discharges.
- Females were almost twice as likely to be hospitalized
for a fall injury as males.
- Fractures were the most common type of injury from fall
(82.2%).
- About 12% of all falls involved a head injury; over two-thirds
(37%) involved a hip injury.
- Of falls occurring to infants less than 1, two-thirds
involve a TBI and over 75% involved some type of head and
neck injury.
- Fall from playground equipment accounted for about 10%
of hospitalizations for 1-4 year olds and 30% for 5-9 year
olds.
- Falls attributed to slipping, stumbling and tripping account
for a majority of falls across all age groups.
- Two-thirds of all unintentional fall injury hospitalizations
were for elderly adults over the age of 65.
- Over half of all unintentional fall injury hospitalizations
were for elderly adults over the age of 75.
Fall
Prevention Tips
- Babies are particularly vulnerable to falls and need to
be closely supervised at all times.
- Never leave babies alone on any furniture, including beds,
tables, sofas, or cribs and changing tables with the guard
rails down -- even if they have never rolled over before.
Instead, put babies on the floor or in a crib with secured
guard rails.
- When changing a baby's diaper in a crib or on a changing
table, be sure the guard rails are up and latched securely.
Some changing tables also come with safety straps that you
can use to secure your baby. When you do not have access
to a crib or changing table with guard rails or safety straps,
be sure to keep at least one hand on your baby at all times.
Baby Walkers and Stairs
More children are injured with baby walkers than with any
other nursery product.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends alternatives
to baby walkers, such as:
- "Stationary walkers" - have no wheels but
have seats that rotate and bounce.
- Playpens - great safety zones for children as they
learn to sit, crawl, or walk.
- High chairs - older children often enjoy sitting up
in a high chair and playing with toys on the tray.
- Install gates at top and bottom of stairs until children
can climb up and down safely.
- Keep stairwells and walkways free of toys and clutter.
- Use safety gates to prevent infants and toddlers from
falling down stairs or entering dangerous rooms or areas.
- Properly install gates at the top and bottom of all staircases.
- Teach members of the family, including older children,
to consistently latch the gate whenever they use it.
- Look for gates with vertical slats that are no more than
2 3/8 inches apart. If the gate has diamond-shaped openings,
they should be less than 12 inches wide. Do not use accordion
gates with large openings as a child's neck can get trapped.
Window falls
Window screens are only designed to keep insects out, not
to keep children in. Window screens can easily give way to
the weight of a child, and to a curious unsuspecting child,
an open window is an open invitation for a fall. To prevent
falls from windows, as well as other areas of the home, we
recommend the following guidelines for parents and caregivers:
- Never depend on screens to keep children from falling
out of windows. Screens are not designed to prevent falls.
- Whenever possible, open windows from the top - not the
bottom. ·
- Safeguard your windows with window guards or window stops.
Window guards prevent children from falling out of open
windows, and window stops prevent windows from opening more
than a few inches. Be sure that these guards meet ASTM (American
Standards for Testing Materials) standards for emergency
exit in the event of a fire.
- Move chairs, cribs, beds and other furniture away from
windows. Children can quickly climb to window ledges or
sills, and fall. Children can fall from windows opened as
little as five inches.
Highchairs
- Buy a highchair that has important safety features like
a wide base, a locking tray, and a restraining belt or safety
strap. Look for a label on the chair certifying that it
meets current safety standards.
- Always use safety straps to restrain children in their
high chairs.
Cribs
- As babies get older and learn to sit and pull up to a
standing position, lower the mattress in the crib. You should
stop using the crib as soon as the top rails are less than
3/4 of the child's height.
- Do not put toys or pillows in the crib that she could
stand on or use to crawl out of the crib.
- When your child switches to a toddler bed, be sure to
install guard rails on both sides of the bed. Check to make
sure the mattress fits snugly into the frame.
- Consider installing soft flooring around your child's
crib or bed to lessen the severity of a fall-related injury.
Examples of such flooring include thick carpeting, a pad,
or a gym mat.
Floors
- ·Modify slippery surfaces and remove hazards whenever
possible.
- Secure area rugs and throw rugs by using a nonskid backing
- Clean up spills immediately to avoid slipping and avoid
over-waxing.
- To prevent tripping on wires, route electrical and other
cords behind furniture or along the walls, and tape or tack
them down.
- Remove clutter from the floor-pick up toys, books, clothing,
and any other items that may be on the floor.
Outdoor Play
- Select play equipment that is safe for young children
such as equipment that keeps children low to the ground.
- Discourage active play on outdoor decks, balconies, fire
escapes, high porches, and roofs. When possible, remove
climbing aids in yards or on balconies
- Cover window wells to prevent children from falling in.
- Buy your children shoes that will reduce their chances
of falling. A good example would be low-cut sneakers with
rough, rubber soles.
Resources
Fall Prevention for Older Adults
Older adults are also at risk of suffering a fall resulting
in an injury. The risk of a fall may be intensified if the
adult is subject to any of the following:
- use of sedatives
- previous fall
- cognitive impairment
- visual impairment
- lower-extremity disability
- foot problems
- gait abnormalities
Fall Prevention Tips for Older Adults
- keep bathroom lights on
- install grab bars
- avoid loose rugs
- remove clutter
- keep wires behind furniture
- Gait training or balance training, along with muscle strengthening,
can help to prevent falls.
For more information on fall prevention and fall prevention
programs visit http://www.vahealth.org/civp/homesafehome/index.asp
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