Aged Care: Play it safe -- stay on your feet
By Frank Morris
Just because you’ve moved into a retirement village, or are planning to in the near future, doesn’t mean that you mirac  ulously become untouchable as far as accidents are concerned.
Accidents can happen at any time, anywhere – in the bedroom, the kitchen, the laundry, the bathroom and on the streets. It pays to take your time and don’t – DON’T – take any risks.
Unfortunately, people think that because they’ve never had a fall they never will.
According to research released by the Health & Community Services (H&CS):
SIXTY percent of all falls occur in the home;
WOMEN fall twice as often as men;
MANY falls are avoidable;
FALLS are more frequent with increasing age; and
PEOPLE who have already had a fall are much more likely to fall again.
Federal Minister for Aged Care, said statistics show that falls are a major cause of hospitalisation and death among seniors.
“The financial cost of falls by older people in one state alone is over $614 million a year”, he said.
Researchers say that the major causes of falls in the 60-plus age group are: unsafe footwear, changes in eyesight or eye disorders, poor balance and walking pattern, lack of physical activity, chronic health conditions, and hazards in and around the home and public areas.
In the main, falls are commonly the result of risky behaviour.
Safety: it pays to be streetwise
By Frank Morris
For people over sixty a fall or an accident can have devastating repercussions.
The accident rate on our suburban streets involving the over 60s is staggering, according to the Federal Office of Road Safety.
“Many older people have never driven and they tend to over-estimate a driver’s ability to see them,” a department safety officer said.
Older people also misjudge the speed of different types of vehicles.
The officer said older people need to plan their shopping and outings to avoid evening peak hour traffic. “More than 50 percent of pedestrians over sixty are hit on the second half of the road.”
For your own safety, here are some facts to beware of:
MOST deaths occur in urban areas on Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays;
MORE deaths occur in the winter;
THE most dangerous time is between 4pm to 8pm.
How can older people reduce the risk to being killed or seriously injured?
1. Cross at traffic lights, use the crossing; find a place where there is a refuge in the middle of the road.
2. Don’t cross between parked cars.
3. Don’t assume that a driver has seen you.
4. Keep a sharp lookout for turning vehicles at intersections.
5. Take extra care if you have to cross on or near a curve or crest.
When it comes to playing it safe there are no half measures, say the experts. “The good news is that there are simple steps you can take to prevent falls or accidents – and your own home is a good place to start.”
* * *
Ernest Shackleton: icy booze hoard recovered
Adapted by Frank Morris
 Five crates of whisky and brandy belonging to polar explorer Ernest Shackleton have been recovered after being buried for more than 100 years beneath the Antarctic ice. Explorers said last week that the spirits were evacuated from beneath Shackleton’s Antarctic hut, which was built in 1908. “To our amazement, we found five crates, three labelled as containing whisky and two labelled as containing brandy,” said Al Frasier of the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust. Some of the crates have cracked and ice has formed inside, which will make the job of extracting the contents very delicate. However, the smell of whisky in the surrounding ice indicated that one or more of the bottles may have broken. Richard Paterson, master blender at Whyte and Mackay, whose company supplied the Mackinlay’s whisky for Shackleton, said the find was “a gift from the heavens” for whisky lovers. If the contents could be analysed, the original blend might be able to be replicated. (NZPA)
If you would like to comment on this story ASK FRANK
<< BACK
NEXT >>
|
