Aging

Health concerns and risks may change as individuals age. Prevention and health planning are great ways to make the aging process easier. Here you will find a number of resources that we feel may be of assistance to older adults or to anyone caring for an older adult.

Lifeline

Many of our patients have fallen or at risk for falling. Falls may not always be able to be prevented. However, a fast, reliable call for help will provide a quick response, reducing the complications and mortality rate associated with the fall.

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Griffin Hospital is proud to offer the Lifeline service to those in the Greater Naugatuck Valley area. There are several levels of service available, depending on individual needs and concerns. The most popular service is Lifeilne with AutoAlert, which offers an added layer of protection by combining the industry-leading Lifeline medical alert service with automatic fall detection capabilities. Lifeline with AutoAlert features the first pendant-style help button that can automatically call for help if a fall is detected and a senior is unable to push his or her help button.

Facts about falls:

On average one third of adults 65 older will fall each year.
13.3 million people 65 and older will fall this year-thats one fall every 2.3 seconds.
Half of older adults who fall cannot get back up without help.
Falls occur 4 times more frequently in the first 2 weeks after hospital discharge.
Falls account for 60% of all nonfatal-injury ER visits in the 65 and older.
Of all nursing home admissions, 40% are related to falls.
Quality of life can be impacted by falls.

Long lie times are also a major factor when it comes to falls. Did you know…

The mortality rate from falls has been determined to be 67% when lie times were more than 72 hours, as opposed to 12% when lie times were less than one hour.
Of the patients found alive, 62% were hospitalized and approximately half required intensive care.
Of the survivors, over 60% were unable to return to independent living.
Potential risks associated with long lie times include hypothermia, dehydration, pressure sore, aspiration pneumonia and rabdomyolysis.

For more information on all of the services available through Griffin Hospital Lifeline, please visitï¿½griffinhealth.org/lifelineï¿½or call 1.800.242.1306 x4722 (mention program code CT028).