Wisconsin leads the nation in fall-related deaths

ALLOUEZ, Wis. (WBAY) - Wisconsin has the highest number of fall-related deaths in the country. It’s an important issue to talk about before winter, especially for people over 60, who are at a higher risk of falls.

The Green Bay Metro Fire Department says the number of falls reported every year continues to increase. Last year, the department responded to 2,000 calls for falls, or more than 5 calls per day.

The fire department says half of the people they respond to for falls end up being transported to a hospital.

The Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) in Green Bay offers a variety of workshops and classes people can register for. The ADRC partners with the fire department and other organizations also to try to reduce the number of falls through home visits to try to identify risk factors in someone’s home.

Falls can be serious and lead to further health issues, especially for senior adults.

“When someone is in a car accident, they’re very sore the days after. Kind of the same thing happens with falls. Yes, we do go on a lot of calls where maybe someone bruised their knee; they’re OK. But unfortunately, we do go on a lot of serious ones. Some of that could be head injuries from hitting their head on the way down,” Shauna Walesh of the Green Bay Metro Fire Department said.

The next fall prevention class at the ADRC in Green Bay is coming up on October 2. Visit the ADRC website for information about classes and other resources for preventing falls.

Watch our interview with Amy Staniforth, a prevention specialist with Brown County’s Aging and Disability Resource Center.

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