Since January 2015, the Newtown Emergency Communications Center in charge of handling local 911 calls reported that there have been 1,093 calls for service regarding falls that required an emergency response.

Preventing falls in the home is a concern for people at any age or ability, but especially for the aging population.

To age in place at home, there are a number of beneficial medical items and daily habits that can be incorporated to decrease the chance of falling and the injuries associated with it.

The First Step

Home assessments are a productive measure to take toward preventing falls from occurring. By contacting a medical or home care professional to do a home check-list, potential hazards can be eliminated in each room and positive changes can be made before problems take place.

Home Instead Senior Care is a worldwide organization that provides nonmedical home care and companionship for seniors. Some of their services include personal care, transitional/respite care, medication reminders, as well as complimentary home safety assessments.

Sharon Massafra, owner and president of Home Instead Senior Care in Sandy Hook and Trumbull said, "Falls are frequent, and when we do an initial assessment we do ask 'Within the past six months, have you had any falls and how many have you had?'"

From there, she says, they proceed to determine if the senior is at risk and what type of preventative measures can be put in place to avoid future falls.

In a recent Home Instead Senior Care survey that interviewed 100 emergency room physicians and 600 seniors age 65 and older, the results showed that 33 percent of seniors' trips to the hospital and ER are caused by falls and other accidents in the home.

Yet, of those surveyed, 85 percent of seniors have done nothing to prepare their homes for aging.

With that in mind, part of Home Instead Senior Care's assessment includes learning if the senior is ready to accept the changes that are happening due to aging.

"We look at the mindset to see how we can move this person to a better understanding of why some of these changes need to take place," said Ms Massafra.

In doing so, individualized treatment can be done to cater to the needs of each person to best prevent falls or accidents in the home.

Good Habits To Start

One of the biggest hazards in a home is clutter, because that can be found in any and all rooms of a household.

Making sure pathways are clear without possible obstacles, like shoes or electrical cords, is one of the first tasks that can be done to prevent falls in the home at any age.

Being able to navigate through the home with ease in important.

Getting involved with community resources like exercise classes that increase activity and are appropriate for the individual, help improve a person's health, and reduce falls.

Donna Culbert, director of health for the Newtown District Department of Health, said, "We always want people to be active; it helps be more flexible, confident, and stronger in the legs and core."

Going to routine checkups are also important in avoiding falls by ensuring the person is healthy.

Medical conditions contribute to how a person is able to navigate through their home. Vision or hearing impairment can create an unsafe environment and cause a person to be at a higher risk of falling.

Ms Culbert explained, "Everyone should have their vision checked regularly, because if you are not wearing the right prescription you may misjudge how far something is, like a step."

Those on medications should speak with their doctor about the side effects and how medications interact with each other, because they may be at risk for dizziness or a drop in blood pressure that can put a person at a greater risk of falls.

Helpful Tools Make A Difference

Every area of a home, from the hallways to the bathroom to the bedroom, can benefit from incorporating specific fall-prevention items.

Installing railings or banisters throughout the home's stairwells - no matter how few steps there are - is a recommended feature.

Chair lifts, sometimes know as stair glides, are units that can be installed in the stairway that aid a person in getting up and down the stairs in multilevel homes. They are available for those with long-term or even temporary mobility problems.

Bruce Kutner, owner of medical supply store Medical Home Care in Bethel, does home assessments and says his company sells and installs all different kinds of chair lifts in all types of staircases.

"I go to people's homes and measure what is best for them," Mr Kutner said. "We rent them also."

He says these units are beneficial for people looking to age in their home or who may be recovering from a surgery.

There are even color options for the upholstery to be customized to fit a person's home decor or to blend into the environment.

No matter if a person chooses to incorporate a chairlift or a railing in the stairwell, Ms Massafra recommended having a walking aid located at the top level and another on the bottom level, so neither has to be carried over to the other floor.

Walking aids come in a variety of options and are important features to increase mobility in the home and prevent falls from fatigue.

Canes come in a basic one prong version, as well as four-prongs, and there are even cane accessories to add extra grips at the bottom for more stability.

With their four legs spanning a body, walkers provide greater stability and balance, and can be leaned on for support if needed.

"Chair walkers are very popular, because you can put the break on and even turn around and sit on it if you're tired," Mr Kutner said.

There are also motorized wheelchairs that are operated with a joystick and can be used in the home. They increase mobility, allowing the user to be balanced when they reach objects and avoid falling.

Mr Kutner explained, "It raises you up about 10 inches, so someone in their house can reach the sink, or counter, or shelf that if they were in a different type of chair they couldn't."

The Bathroom And Bedroom

A specific area of the home that is a high concern for falls is the bathroom. The bathroom is the primary place where most accidents occur, because it used frequently and is unavoidable.

"To modify that part of the home first might be a really good thing," said Ms Massafra. "That's what we suggest to people, because that's where you do want the most privacy."

To allow seniors to be independent and be able to shower themselves, safety equipment like grab bars can be installed in the shower to hold onto for extra stability.

Shower chairs are an easy and useful option for those who have difficulty standing for long periods of time. They can be placed in a tub or shower to allow the person to be able to sit, decreasing the risk of falling due to slippery floors or from becoming tired.

A similar version of the shower chair is a shower bench. The bench extends outside the bathtub's ledge, allowing the user the ability to sit on the side and swing their legs in one at a time. This gives the person more stability when stepping into the shower or tub.

Shower nozzle extensions are helpful and pair well with having a shower chair or bench. The nozzle extension gives people more independence when showering since they will be able to navigate where they want the water.

For a more permanent option than a shower chair, Medical Home Care also installs bathtub/showers that have seats, higher sides, and an extension nozzle provided.

To avoid falling on slippery, wet surfaces in or around the shower, nonslip adhesive strips or a mat can be used for traction.

Toilets also be customized to help reduce the risk of falling. Having raised seat pads that include handles on the sides allow a person the proper height to make getting up or down easier.

Another area of the home where falls commonly occur is the bedroom. Railings can be put on the sides of the mattress, not as a restraint, but as a helping device for the person to gain stability as get up and down off the bed.

They slide between the mattress and the box-spring, and they come in fold down or fixed options with some that have legs that go down to the floor for extra strength.

It is also helpful to keep a flashlight on the nightstand next to the bed, incase a person has to get up in the middle of the night, most likely to use the bathroom. A flashlight will help a person see clearly what is up ahead and avoid tripping over something in the dark.

Fall-Related Injuries

What makes falls such a fear for so many people is that a wide variety of injuries can occur depending on how a person lands on the ground.

A common fall-related concern that many seniors face is that they may be more susceptible to breaking bones, like their hip, which can have a devastating effect on their physical and mental health.

After falling once, people are more likely to fear having another fall and can become depressed feeling a sense of helplessness and loss of independence.

Ms Culbert says it is so important that people know it is okay to ask for help. She personally has experienced a loved one suffering a fall in the home when her mother fell on Christmas.

"She wanted to carry some things downstairs, but didn't want to wait for us. She was trying to be really careful backing down the stairs holding on to the railing while bringing things down, but she forgot that the railing ended before the stairs did," Ms Culbert said. "She went down and bumped her head, and even though it wasn't a bleeding injury, it resulted in a pretty significant black eye."

Wearing those facial injuries can affect a person's confidence and sometimes be embarrassing for that person to walk around with it so clear to people.

Mr Culbert's mother also suffered pain to her knee and elbow.

How a person braces themselves can affect the injury, because a person's full weight is landing on different points of impact. Some falls may result in head, arm, wrist, or knee injuries.

Ultimately, when a person hits the ground, there is immediate soft tissue damage and it gradually expands due to increased pressure and swelling.

"When you are down there for a long period of time, blood is rushing to that part of the body," said Ms Massafra. "Things start to fester inside of you the longer you are on the ground; as that happens it starts to affect all of your organs. Everything is working harder, faster, and can't function as well."

Pressure ulcers, dehydration, aspiration pneumonia, and even hypothermia are just some of the possible consequences that can happen when someone is left on the floor for an extended period of time.

If someone has blacked out or is experiencing possible external or internal injuries, it is important to immediately call 911.

When someone lives alone, they could be left on the floors for hours or even days unable to reach help.

Having a cellphone is a good option, if people keep it on them at all times and do not drop it during the fall.

A more reliable option, that Ms Massafra said Home Instead Senior Care is a strong advocate for, is seniors having a personal response system in place. A personal response system is a button that can be pressed to notify help that there is an emergency. The device can be worn at all times on the wrist or around the neck.

Overall, making good decisions for daily habits, incorporating medical items in the home, and wearing personal response devices can make a significant impact on preventing a fall in the home and improving a person's quality of life.

"It makes so much of a difference," Ms Massafra said. "It's peace of mind, too."