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Date: 2/16/2022
SOUTH HADLEY – The South Hadley Council on Aging is partnering with South Hadley Fire Departments 1 and 2 and the Dementia Friendly Community Initiative to launch their new Falls Prevention Program.
According to the Council on Aging, one in three older adults experience a fall each year and people who fall once are two to three times more likely to fall again.
This program allows elderly residents in the community to receive a scheduled visit from firefighters to identify safety issues in their homes and work to prevent falls and further harm.
According to Program Coordinator Sandy Farnsworth, firefighters can check on room set-ups, fix poor lighting, offer smoke detector checks and more. Free smoke alarms, house numbers or other safety devices needed will be supplied or placed on order during the visit.
Farnsworth said that it is also a great way for the Fire Department to connect with residents and provide this help in a controlled, social environment.
“Rather than a 15 minute conversation it could be “come on in and have a cup of tea” and so then it’s 30 minutes and it’s very positive,” said Farnsworth.
So far, the program has been running for a few weeks and Farnsworth said that it has given many families a peace of mind to have this extra set of eyes.
“We’re hearing a lot of good information that’s coming back. Families of the person are thrilled that another pair of eyes has been in because they can be objectively looking at things and making recommendations,” she said. “I think it’s just another opportunity for folks to have someone come in and maybe bring in some new news or be able to come in and make some good decisions as to how furniture is set up or how things are going.”
There is no limit to the amount of residents who can participate in this program and it will be ongoing.
The first step in participating is to fill out a small survey which can be found online or in-person at the Council on Aging.
“It’s an overall list of pretty common sense questions, but this puts them down so that we can look in their apartments and check things off as to how well they’re doing,” said Farnsworth.
She will then help the interested resident connect with the Fire Department and set up a visit. After the visit, firefighters will follow up with the Council on Aging to discuss findings or to have them offer further assistance if necessary.
“It just is a continuum of care. We now have more than one set of eyes on this particular person, or we’re also in support of their family,” said Farnsworth.
Farnsworth said that this program will help many elderly residents continue to stay safe and live at home for as long as possible. It aims to confirm that they are taking care of themselves and their space in the best possible way and, if not, to work to achieve this.
Those interested in learning more information about the Falls Prevention Program are encouraged to visit the Council on Aging website at https://www.southhadley.org/324/Council-on-Aging or call 538-5030.