Team keeps seniors on feet, and out of hospitals
Print Edition
FOR nearly three decades, a team at the disease control and prevention center in Changning District has been exploring innovative ways to reduce falls and fall-related injuries among the elderly.
The team is lead by Dr Xia Qing-hua, a doctor who began monitoring cases of falls and physical collapse back in 2001, long before the central government required such cases to be recorded in the national health system.
Xia insists though that persons of any age can be seriously injured in accidental falls, not just the elderly. In fact, she stressed, such accidents can be fatal and require just as much attention as other public health risks. For Xia and her team, a big part of their job is to get people to change the way they think about falls and identify potential risks in their daily habits.
In 2004, they started to research fall-injury prevention measures for the elderly. Their initial findings were recognized by central authorities, and several of their recommendations were later adopted by health officials in other localities across China.
Of course, Xia and her fellow experts also spend considerable time educating the elderly with instructional videos and leaflets. Among the public, this work has been well received — Xia says her team has gotten more than 300 letters of appreciation from people who have benefited from the team’s recommendation and advice. What’s more, local media reports about the team say some former residents of Changning regularly return to the district for the latest leaflets.
The instructions and advice carried on these materials are intended to be down-to-earth and relatable to senior citizens. In them the team teaches old people how to improve their balance as well as how to choose proper shoes and walking sticks. They also provide advice on how to furnish rooms to reduce injure in the event of a fall.
One elderly person told the team that after his daughter saw the leaflet she threw away his shoes and walking stick, saying that replacing them with more suitable items would be better than paying for the price of a fall.
Aside from such anecdotes, statistics offer further insight into the efficacy of the team’s work. According to government estimates, the program has saved hospitals and patients some 1.4 million yuan (US$219,000) since Xia and her team began their work — compared with 200,000 yuan budgeted for the program.
Xia said that as a government body, the work done by her team is intended to maximize public benefit, not profit.
“We do not want people to get sick or injured,” said Xia. “We get funds and support from the government, which shows the authorities do care about the prevention of such injuries.”
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