Staying on Your Feet

How to stay fall-free, healthy and independent!

If you or someone close to you is 65 years of age or older, the chance of  at least one fall in 2009 is one in three! This means that more than 30,000 older Winnipeggers are likely to fall this year. And that risk increases to one in two for people over the age of 80.

Falls can have serious consequences, including hospitalization, permanent loss of mobility and independence, and even death. Here are some facts about falls in Winnipeg:

• Injuries caused by falls are the #1 reason for injury hospitalizations for persons 65 years of age and older
  
  
• More than 2,000 Winnipeggers are hospitalized each year due to fall injuries. 
  
  
• People who are admitted to a hospital because of a fall tend to stay in hospital for a very long time, an average of 33 days.
  
  
• Approximately 40 Winnipeggers die each year in Winnipeg due to a fall. The majority of these being 65 years of age or older

Download A Fact Sheet to Help You Prevent a Fall

Did you know that most falls are preventable?

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has several resources to help identify what factors could cause a fall and what things to do to prevent a fall.

A Checklist to Help You Prevent Falls 

The first step in preventing a fall is to understand what causes them. We’ve put together a checklist to help identify the factors that could cause a person to fall. It only takes a few minutes to complete and it helps identify individual fall risk factors so action can be taken. 

A Checklist to Help You Prevent Falls

Liste de vérification pour vous aider à prévenir les chutes

Your Home Safety Checklist

Many falls occur in and around the home. However, a few simple steps can make a home safer and prevent a fall. The Home Safety Checklist will help you determine what things in and around your home could cause you to fall. It also provides helpful suggestions on easy and inexpensive ways to make your home safer.

Download the Home Safety Checklist

Take Action to Prevent Falls Education Booklet

Now you know the factors that put you at risk of falling, you need to know what actions to take to prevent a fall. This booklet centres on 9 key areas:

• How to be more physically active
  
  
• Managing medications
  
  
• Taking care of health
  
  
• Improving balance
  
  
• Improving the way you walk
  
  
• Foot care and safe footwear
  
  
• Checking eyesight
  
  
• Eating well
  
  
• Identifying, removing and reporting hazards

For each area, the booklet provides simple and effective steps to help prevent a fall. Review each section and focus on the factors that relate to an individual’s lifestyle, independence and environment.  Risk of having a fall can be reduce when we offer to help an older adult with activities that could increase their chances of falling, e.g. climbing a ladder to change a light bulb.

Download the Take Action to Prevent Falls Booklet:
English | French

Be sure to complete the personal review at the end of each section, and "My Personal Action Plan" on page 41 of the booklet.

Remember: Most Falls Are Preventable!

Take action TODAY to prevent a fall and stay healthy and independent for years to come.

Related Links

Manitoba Healthy Living Injury Prevention

IMPACT (Injury Prevention Centre of Children’s Hospital in Winnipeg)

British Columbia Injury Prevention and Research Unit

Health Canada Injury Prevention

Veterans Affairs Canada

SmartRisk

CDC (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention)