Older Person's Safety

Independence and good health are two values high in most people's priorities when planning for older age. However, statistics show that falls are a major cause of hospitalisation and death among seniors in our community. The cost is usually pain and disability and always, diminished confidence and security. What’s worse is that, unlike many diseases, most falls need not happen.

As a first step in dealing with this significant issue, finding out about how to prevent this happening to ourselves, our families, in public and in our homes is a priority for a safer community. There are many sources for this information and Latrobe City Community Safety encourages an active social and physical lifestyle as one important factor towards the prevention of falls. Facilitating a safer environment which encourages good health is another.

Since most falls occur in and around our homes and neighbourhoods a few simple steps can be undertaken to reduce the risk.

• Take good care of yourself - physical, social and mental wellbeing
• Wear safe shoes - consider fit, fastenings, ground contact, grip and rounded edge heels
• Have your eye sight tested annually
• Keep walking and develop a regular pattern for balance and muscle tone
• Stay physically active - sport, swim, walk rather than drive
• Manage your medicines
• Manage chronic conditions - illnesses such as arthritis - the idea is to prevent further deterioration, maintain as much function and wellbeing and if possible restore some function that may have been lost
• Make your home safer, ask for a checklist
• Make public places safer, report the hazards - footpaths, pedestrians, retail precincts, public transport
• Growing old with brittle bones, fractures and falling can be changes

Seek help from your medical practitioner, health service or contact Community Safety at Latrobe City. A Falls Prevention checklist and Home Safety checklist is available from the Community Safety Unit.  For older drivers and road users specific programs are available from RACV, VICROADS and ROADSafe. In terms of fear and security - consider contacting your local Police for the Confident Living Program.