Slip and Falls in the Home are a Major Source of Personal Injury in Canada

March 07, 2019, Kitchener, Ontario

Posted by: Robert Deutschmann, Personal Injury Lawyer

Slip and falls are a major source of injury in the population in Ontario and are a leading cause of hospitalization in the senior population. Injuries resulting from slip and falls such as concussion and broken arms and hips can lead to extended hospital stays, complications and death. Recovery from any injury lengthens as we age.It is estiated that one in four seniors fall annually. 87% of fractures in the elderly are due to slip and falls.

The fear of falling keeps many people from enjoying daily exercise and normal life. This doesn’t have to be the case. Staying strong and eating well, practicing balance exercises, and staying active can all mean that quality of life as you age stays good.

Clinicians throughout Canada are working on fall prevention protocols to prevent the falls in the first place. The importance of this is paramount as our population ages and life spans increase. As we age we lose the ability to balance, to react quickly, and to recover from slips. Falls can easy cause weakened bones to break. Lack of muscle tone also makes falling more likely.

Many senior’s centres, nursing homes, and community health centres are now offering falls-prevention classes teaching people the fundamental benefits of exercise, staying safe on stairs, how healthy eating contributes to bone mass and muscle tone, and how to safely get up after a fall.

The CBC News reported recently about the Niagara Region EMS who instituted the Falls Intervention Team after noting their rates of calls to seniors slip and fall accidents had increased significantly. This initiative pairs an OT with paramedics, and they are dispatched together to 911 calls from seniors who have fallen. This team combination allows for the senior to be assessed immediately for health care, but also allows an OT to evaluate the space the senior has been injured in and assessing the circumstances of the fall. This team approach allows for a proactive approach. The OT can assess the space and make suggestions about the changes required (getting rid of small rugs for example) to avoid future accidents.

These teams also do follow up checks on seniors who have already fallen to offer support.

Teaching individuals how to avoid falls, how to react during a fall and how to get up from a fall makes life better for seniors and their families.

Here are some tips to help prevent slip and fall accidents in the home:

1. Clean up Clutter
2. Remove tripping hazards like small rugs
3. Repair breaks in flooring and carpet
4. Install grab bars and handrails in bathrooms
5. Have railings on stairs
6. Use good lighting
7. Wear shoes indoors with non-slip soles
8. Ideally live on one level and avoid stairs

About Deutschmann Law

Deutschmann Law serves South-Western Ontario with offices in Kitchener-Waterloo, Cambridge, Woodstock, Brantford, Stratford and Ayr. The law practice of Robert Deutschmann focuses almost exclusively in personal injury and disability insurance matters. For more information, please visit www.deutschmannlaw.com or call us at 1-519-742-7774.

It is important that you review your accident benefit file with one of our experienced personal injury / car accident lawyers to ensure that you obtain access to all your benefits which include, but are limited to, things like physiotherapy, income replacement benefits, vocational retraining and home modifications.