BROOKFIELD, Wis. — Waukesha County seniors are facing a costly and deadly problem at a rate that is among the highest in the country.
The county is in the top five in the country for fall rates among seniors. The issue is so bad, Waukesha County has made it one of its top health priorities this year.
Waukesha County residents Gale and Henry Yun have been worried about falls for Henry because he deals with a chronic illness and uses a cane. However, one day later year, Gale missed a step walking out into the garage and had a bad fall.
"I broke my left foot and sprained my right ankle at the same time,” said Gale Yun. "All from a fall."
They are not alone. In the state 18-percent of all 911 calls are for falling. At Ascension Elmbrook, where 30-percent of the Brookfield population is over 60 years-old, they are seeing it even more.
“Falls are a huge issue,” said Narin Avci, a physical therapist at Ascension Southeast Wisconsin.
Depending on where a fall occurs, a call for emergency services can be expensive. The City of Brookfield doesn't charge if a person just needs to be picked back up after a fall. But the City of Menomonee Falls charges $300 for the first five lift assists, then $400 for every assist after. The fire department says often just a lift assist isn't covered by insurance, but they say the injuries that they do see are hard to recover from.
"Some people have major injuries like hip fractures or head injuries."
The CDC says a fall is the leading cause of death for those over 65 years old. With Waukesha County now in the top 5 for fall rates among seniors in the country, the health department is treating the issue as a top health priority. Places like Ascension Elmbrook offer a fall prevention class called Stepping On — a class both Gale and Henry have recently completed.
Watch: Seniors take fall prevention classes to keep themselves safe.
"If we can stay strong and [learn] how not to fall and injure ourselves that would be great and we can stay in our home,” said Gale.
Friday, September 27 starting at 1 p.m. Ascension Southeast Wisconsin in Wauwatosa on Mayfair road will host a Falls Prevention Fair. The event is free. You can find more info here.
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