EASTON, Pa. — Each year, there are about 1 million fall-related hospitalizations among older adults, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
September is Fall Prevention Month, and the CDC reports that falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injury.
Now, a local handyman is sharing ways to minimize the risk at home.
“You can do a lot of these fall prevention things before you need them, and it's good to do that,” said John Brethour, owner of TruBlue, a handyman service in Easton.
Brethour is a certified senior home safety specialist.
“A lot of times we do get the calls, kind of, after they need the help," he said. "So they come back from the hospital or something, which means they probably waited too long.”
"I always encourage people to kind of start looking for these things middle-aged or even earlier, and try and make their houses safe for for aging."John Brethour, owner, TruBlue
He said there are ways to lower the risk of falling while at home at any age.
“As you get older, it becomes more of a matter of, ‘No I don't need this yet,’ and you start resisting it,” he said.
“When you finally realize you do need it, that's after you've had the fall and after you've hurt yourself.
"So I always encourage people to kind of start looking for these things middle-aged or even earlier, and try and make their houses safe for aging.”
Not 'look like an institution'
Brethour said he often suggests tacking down rugs, making sure there's ample lighting and adding handrails, tables or hampers that a person can grab onto if they are falling.
“You don't have to make the thing look like an institution. If you've got an entryway, make sure that there's a large-enough stoop or porch to stand there and open the door comfortably with when you're holding things.”John Brethour, owner of TruBlue, a handyman service in Easton
“In the bathroom, it's grab bars, and there's a selection of grab bars now that don't look like grab bars. You don't have to make the thing look like an institution,” he said.
“If you've got an entryway, make sure that there's a large-enough stoop or porch to stand there and open the door comfortably with when you're holding things.”
Brethour adds that many of the newer safety features available to mitigate falls don’t actually look like grab bars, but can fit in with the home décor.
He said identifying and fixing often-overlooked hazards can help to prevent falls. His team serves the greater Lehigh Valley and can assist with fall prevention.
“We do general handyman service stuff, but we do a lot of aging in place, so that can be anything from putting in ramps and grab bars," he said.
"We can do the clean-cut tub conversion so that you don't have to step over a tub to get in the shower. We can pull the whole tub out and put in a roll-in, roll-out shower."
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falling once doubles a person’s chances of falling again.
