By Hongngoc Nguyen, SCVMC Injury Prevention Coordinator
October 2021 | 2021 Fall Newsletter
Each year, several thousand Santa Clara residents are treated at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) Trauma Center for falls and car-related incidents. Falls and car crashes can cause serious injuries, such as bone fractures, spinal cord injuries, and brain injuries. These injuries can cause life-threatening bleeding, which can result in death.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2017), an older adult dies every 20 minutes from a fall, and more than 20 older adults are killed in car crashes each day. Falls and car-related incidents are injury-causing events that can be preventable.
Follow four safety tips to prevent traumatic injury events:
- Exam your eyes and hearing annually – Poor vision and hearing loss are major factors for falls and car collisions for older adults. Schedule and keep your annual eye and hearing exams. Ensure eyewear and hearing aids are in good working conditions
- Review medication side effects with your doctor – Medications can cause dizziness, sleepiness, or blurred vision. These symptoms can impair your ability to drive safely or affect your balance while walking
- Practice mindfulness – Fully focus your attention on what you are doing in the moment. Avoid using a cell phone, reaching for items, or doing other activities while driving or walking
- Learn safety skills to prevent injuries – You can take various injury prevention classes at SCVMC for free. A Matter of Balance, a fall prevention program, provides techniques to overcome your fears of falls and exercise activities to improve balance and muscle strength. The Stop the Bleed class can teach you basic skills to control life-threatening bleeding. SCVMC also offers webinars for aging drivers to learn how aging and health impact driving and provide safe driving strategies
For more information about Injury Prevention Programs, call Hongngoc Nguyen, SCVMC Injury Prevention Coordinator, at (408) 885-3054 or visit the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center’s eventbrite.com webpage.