Assess your risk of falling at free clinic June 3

"Help! I've fallen and I can't get up."

To many of us, that's just a refrain familiarized by recent television commercials for a medical alert product. Yet, for millions of older individuals in the United States, it is all too real.

In fact, one out of five falls among older adults results in a serious injury, such as head trauma, hip fracture, a fractured wrist or a twisted or broken ankle, according to the Centers for Disease Control. One out of three older victims of a fall never reports it to his or her physician, even though a fall doubles one's chances of falling again, the CDC reports.

With 2.5 million older individuals being treated for fall injuries every year in hospital emergency departments across the nation, Northwest Community Healthcare is hoping its free, fall-risk screening clinic, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, June 3, may help cut down those numbers.

Advance registration is required for the clinic, being held at the NCH Outpatient Center, 3300 Kirchoff Road, Rolling Meadows. The first 15 people who register will receive a gift.

Clinic participants will be asked to complete a short questionnaire, take two simple balance tests and meet individually with a physical therapist, who will provide general information on ways to limit possibilities for falling. The screening will help determine whether a person is at a low, normal or high risk for a fall. At the end of the half-hour screening session, participants will receive a letter, which they will be encouraged to share with their primary care physician.

"We will be assessing a person's level of risk for a fall and then providing each participant with general information on what they can do, especially at home, to lower that risk, such as improving lighting in and around the house, removing throw rugs that can slip, or rearranging items in kitchen cabinets to make them easier to reach," says Physical Therapist Mary Ann Ogilvie, who serves as the rehab services manager for the NCH Wellness Center. "The screening is not intended to be a medical evaluation that leads to an individualized treatment or exercise plan."

Although home hazards account for many of the falls, especially among older individuals, other risks are just as significant, such as a person's difficulties with balance or vision, effects of certain kinds of medications, vitamin D deficiency, lower body weakness and slow reflexes, according to the CDC.

NCH offers the fall-risk clinic quarterly. Staff can accommodate up to 32 registrants.

Those interested in participating in the June screening can register online or by calling HealthConnection at (847) 618-4968.