By Donald Wittkowski
Denise Tumelty always has her cellphone within reach. She also carries a list of her prescription medications whenever she steps outside her home. And in her house, she has installed grab bars in the shower and near the toilet.
All of those precautions are part of the 72-year-old Tumelty’s transition into what she calls “senior living.”
America’s growing aging population continues to put stress on the healthcare system, but some seniors, like Tumelty, are taking steps to protect themselves from falls and other medical calamities that could be fatal.
During a free medical program Friday in Ocean City, experts from the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center Trauma Center in Atlantic City shared tips on how seniors can avoid becoming fall victims.
Kimberly Schunk, trauma program manager for AtlantiCare’s trauma center, looked out on the audience of gray-haired senior citizens sitting in a room at the Ocean City Free Public Library and delivered some sobering facts about America’s aging population
On average, every 18 seconds an older person is treated at a hospital emergency room for a fall. Even more alarming, a senior citizen dies in a fall, on average, every 35 minutes.
“At the trauma center in Atlantic City, the majority of the patients we see, probably around 60 percent, are due to falls,” said Schunk, who conducted the medical program, called SOS: Seniors On Safety.
Schunk told the seniors that falls are not an inevitable part of aging. But she added that osteoporosis, fading eyesight, unsteadiness and the use of prescription medications – all things associated with aging – make seniors more vulnerable to falling.
She shared some “golden rules” for keeping them safe. They include making sure that their homes are well-lighted, removing throw rugs and other tripping hazards, picking up shoes, socks and other clutter from the floor and stairs and watching out for pets.
Schunk also stressed the importance of taking extra care when seniors are in the shower or bathtub. She recommended that they should place skid-resistant mats in the tub or shower, install grab bars or sit in a shower chair while bathing.
In winter, they should be extremely cautious about snow or ice on slippery steps or sidewalks, she reminded.
Perhaps most important, Schunk emphasized, is for seniors to avoid climbing or trying to reach for high objects.
“Do not ever climb on a chair,” she implored.
Tumelty, of Ocean City, was one of the seniors who attended the program. She explained that she became far more safety conscious after she went downstairs into her windowless cellar one day and realized that if she ever fell and was injured, she would probably lie there helpless, without anyone to save her.
“I carry my cellphone with me all of the time now. Even when I take a shower, I put it on the towel beside me in case I fall,” Tumelty said, noting the importance of always being able to contact emergency services.
As an added precaution, Tumelty and her husband carry around a list of all the prescription medications they take. If they were ever rushed to the hospital while they were unconscious or incapacitated, the list would let doctors know which medications they are on.
Tumelty also said that when she and her husband renovated their Bayview Place home to “prepare for senior living,” they installed three grab bars in the shower and one near the toilet to protect them from falls.
“One of the best investments you can make are grab bars,” Tumelty told the other senior citizens who were at the safety program.
Therese Donlan, an 87-year-old Ocean City resident who attended the program, protects herself from falls inside her home by wearing a medical alert communications device around her neck. When she leaves the house, she carries a small, GPS-linked emergency device that would medical crews to pinpoint her location if she ever has a fall or other health episode.
“I feel really safe. They know where you are,” Donlan said.
Donlan took notes while Schunk spoke. She said the program reminded her of the importance of always carrying a list of all the medications she takes.
Warning of the potential dangers of mixing medications, Schunk urged the seniors to develop a system for keeping track of the drugs they are on and to make sure they let their doctors know of all their prescriptions.
“Tell your physician every single, solitary medication you’re on,” she said.
During one point in the program, Katie Marcheski, a nurse and trauma registrar for AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center Trauma Center, handed out free pill dispensers that were marked with each day of the week to help the seniors keep track of their medications.
