COLUMBIA, MD – Senator Barbara Mikulski, County Executive Allan H. Kittleman, and Fire Chief John S. Butler today announced the award of a $201,524 federal grant to the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services (HCDFRS). The grant, part of FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, will allow HCDFRS to reduce preventable injuries and deaths for County residents who are 65+. As more seniors choose to age in place, HCDFRS is committed to helping elderly residents to do so safely.
“During the next 20 years, our senior population is expected to more than double,” said Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman. “Falls are one of the leading reasons seniors lose their independence. This grant will allow us to focus additional resources on education, outreach and prevention.”
Fall prevention is particularly important for our elderly residents. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
• Each year, one-third of elderly people in the community – and half of nursing home residents – will fall. Two-thirds of those who fall will do so again within six months.
• The risk of falling increases with age and is greater for women than men.
• Falls are the leading cause of death from injury among people 65 and older. Approximately 9,500 deaths in older Americans are associated with falls each year.
• More than half of all fatal falls involve people 75 or over.
• When an elderly person falls, his/her hospital stay tends to be twice as long as for an elderly patient who is admitted to the hospital for any other reason. Forty percent of elderly patients injured from a fall never return to full mobility
• Among people aged 65 to 69, one out of every 200 falls results in a hip fracture. That number increases to one out of every 10 for those aged 85 and older. One-fourth of seniors who fracture a hip from a fall will die within six months of the injury.
• Despite the significant risk of injury and death, the most profound effect of falling is the loss of function associated with independent living. Many people who fall, even if they are not injured, become afraid of falling and, as a result, limit their everyday activities. As they become less active, fall victims become weaker – increasing their chances of falling again.
After completing a thorough evaluations of health risks in the community – and considering that the number of residents aged 65+ is expected to double in the next decade – HCDFRS created an injury prevention program called “Remembering When.” Through the program, HCDFRS firefighters, paramedics, and community outreach team members will:
• Identify elderly residents in the community
• Educate those residents in ways to prevent falls and other injuries in their homes and throughout the community
• Conduct home inspections to proactively identify and remediate hazards, including a fall hazard inspection and verification the residence has working smoke detectors
• When appropriate, follow up with residents who are at a higher risk of falling or who might need additional evaluation
The FEMA grant will fund 95% of the program cost for the next two years, and the remaining 5% will be provided as a matching grant from Howard County Government.