June is National Safety Month — Prevent Slips, Trips & Falls

The month of June is National Safety Month in New York and around the country. During the third week of June, the National Safety Council wants people to focus on preventing slips, trips and falls.

According to the NSC, falls result in more than 8.7 million visits to emergency rooms in the U.S. each year, which makes falls the leading cause of unintentional injuries. In addition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in every three adults older than the age of 65 falls each year.

Falls are not just the result of being clumsy or careless, but often are caused by risk factors present in an environment or as the result of age-related issues, medications or health issues.

The NSC wants people to take the month of June to reduce or eliminate these falling risks and offers tips on their website. The NSC recommends that people older than 65:

• Stay active in order to maintain balance, strength and coordination
• Have their vision checked once a year
• Review medications with their doctors to see whether medication side effects or medication combinations could lead to light-headedness and falling
• Remove tripping hazards from the home

The NSC wants all people to do this last step and offers more tips to help people fall-proof their home and property, such as:

• Keep stairs free of clutter
• Clean up spills right away
• Use non-skid rugs in bathrooms and other slippery places
• Use handrails when climbing or descending stairs

Prevent falls this month and be safe.