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Old age: how to prevent falls in the elderly?
Old age: how to prevent falls in the elderly?
(FRANCE 2)
Every year, in France, falls are responsible for 10,000 deaths of elderly people. Affordable devices exist today to avoid these accidents, which are frequent and have serious consequences.
Since her last fall, the shoulder of Renée Cousin, 88 years old, still causes her pain. The octogenarian no longer counts the number of times she has fallen. Last year, after falling from her bed, she was on the floor for more than 12 hours before someone came to rescue her. At home, Renée Cousin successively broke the neck of her femur, her clavicle, and a hip. A scourge that causes more than 130,000 hospitalizations and 10,000 deaths per year. “The longer we wait on the ground, the greater the risk of death in the next six months”indicates Jérôme Cressiot, masseur-physiotherapist in Eaubonne, in Val d’Oise.
A tax-deductible remote assistance box
What are the solutions to avoid these falls? In Lyon (Rhône), an occupational therapist installs a remote assistance box in a retiree’s home connected to a collar connected to the home of a septuagenarian. A system of around thirty euros per month, perfectly tax deductible. A simple press of a button is all it takes to call for help.
Among our sources
Ministry responsible for autonomy
Non-exhaustive list
