You see ambulances on the road and probably assume they are heading to something like a traffic accident. But in fiscal year 2011-2012, a staggering 52 percent of the 11,093 trauma-injury calls were because someone had fallen and couldn’t get up.
“When you look at the statistics, we saw that so many of the trauma injuries that Marion County Fire Rescue paramedics, firefighters and EMTs respond to are related to falls,” said Jessica Greene, spokesperson for Fire Rescue.
But a new program in Marion County aims to change those numbers. Thursday, more than 100 residents in the senior community of On The Top of the World were at a class sponsored by firefighters called the Big Balance Theory.
The class is designed to help seniors improve their balance and strength so they are less likely to fall.
The Centers for Disease Control said one in three senior citizens will fall each year.
“I was mopping my kitchen floor like a good little house wife and I slipped and went down so fast. That’s when I fractured a knee," 83-year-old Cindy Dellow said.
The fire department plans to take the class to other communities, hoping fewer falls means more ambulances are available when you might need one.
“If we are able to prevent just a portion of those, that has the opportunity not only to improve the lives of these people who are being injured, but it impacts the entire community as well,” Greene said.
FUTURE CLASSES PLANNED:
St. Joseph’s of the Forest Catholic Church (17301 E. Highway 40, Silver Springs).
Sept. 23, 2014 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. (Presentation and fall-risk assessment).
Sept. 25, 2014 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. (Class: Hands-on exercises).
Silver Springs Shores Presbyterian Church (674 Silver Road, Ocala).
Dec. 16, 2014 from 9:30-11:30 a.m. (Presentation and fall-risk assessment).
Dec. 18, 2014 from 10:30-11:30 a.m. (Class: Hands-on exercises).