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Elderly falls are a threat, but can be reduced
Randy Rozek • Oct 12, 2016
According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, falls are the leading cause of death and the number one ranked reason for emergency room visits in the state of Wisconsin. In fact, Wisconsin is fourth in the U.S. for having the most deaths from injury caused by falls.
“An older adult falls nearly every second of every day across the United States. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among people who are ages 65 or older ,” an article by WisContext reads. “Over 27,000 older adults die as a result of a fall every year. Non-fatal injuries range from head trauma and traumatic brain injury to fractures and lacerations. Overall, more than 95 percent of hip fractures result from a fall.”
Researchers in Wisconsin and across the U.S. are working to discover better ways to predict if an elderly person is more at risk for a fall. Being able to predict a potential fall will help physicians in suggesting prevention methods.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the following risk factors that contribute to falls:
- Lower body weakness
- Low levels of vitamin D
- Difficulty with walking or balance
- Use of certain medications that cause dizziness or sleepiness
- Poor vision and/or old eye ware prescriptions
- Foot pain or poor footwear
- Home hazards such as broken or uneven steps, throw rugs, or missing handrails along stairs or in the bathroom.
“Many people who have experienced a fall are fearful of falling again. For some, this anxiety causes them to reduce their activity level and be more cautious,” the article reads. “As a person’s activity level decreases, her or his fitness level drops as well. Individuals with lower fitness levels are in turn actually more likely to fall.”
The CDC is working on an initiative entitled Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries. The initiative provides fall prevention information for health care providers, caregivers and older adults, including the following tips:
- Patients who have fallen, or are afraid of falling, should tell their doctors and ask for an evaluation for risk of falling.
- Patients should request a review of medications to see if any might cause dizziness or sleepiness. Prescription and over-the-counter medications should be reviewed.
- Patients should ask about taking a vitamin D supplement for improved bone and muscle strength to reduce chance of injury.
Exercise:
- Increasing one’s fitness level decreases the risk of falls.
- Strength and balance exercises strengthen the legs and improves balance.
Eyes:
- People should make sure their glasses or contacts have a current prescription every year.
Home:
- Items like rugs or clutter that are easy to trip over should be removed.
- Grab bars should be installed inside and outside a tub or shower and next to the toilet.
- Both sides of the stairs should have railings.
- The home should have lots of light and use bright light bulbs.
“Communities around Wisconsin are offering Stepping On , an evidence-based program adapted by the Wisconsin Institute for Healthy Aging in collaboration with the CDC from a project out of University of Sydney in Australia,” the article reads. “It seeks to help people who are at risk of falling, have a fear of falling, or who have fallen one or more times. The program offers community-based, small-group workshops that have demonstrated a 50 percent reduction in falls for individuals, and includes materials about vision, medications, proper footwear, checking the home for hazards, and strength and balance exercises.”
Erin Eggert is a family living agent and certified exercise physiologist with the University of Wisconsin-Extension Monroe County .
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After an ongoing struggle to bring justice to the victim of an attack at a Wisconsin diabetes clinic, attorney Randy Rozek of Rozek Law Offices, S.C. has won an $8.3 million victory in which a jury found hospital security at fault for the attack and the client’s resulting injuries. In 2014, Rozek’s client was in the waiting room of the diabetes clinic at a local children’s hospital when a 16-year-old girl with a history of violence viciously assaulted her. The victim, who was accompanied by her two young children, was “punched repeatedly in the face and head, had chunks of hair pulled from her head and was struck in the head with a chair,” Rozek said. The children, aged 9 and 11 at the time, were so frightened by the brutal beating that they fled to a stairwell for safety, fearing their mother had been killed by the attacker and that they would be next if the attacker was to find them. Rozek’s client survived the assault, but still struggles with symptoms of a TBI (traumatic brain injury) and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) following the attack.
Congratulations to Attorney Randy Rozek on his election to be Chair of the American Association for Justice’s Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group. The American Association for Justice (AAJ) is the largest group of legal advocates for justice in the country. According to AAJ: “For over 70 years, AAJ has successfully defended Americans’ right to trial by jury and continues to fight every day to protect our practices, our clients’ rights, and our civil justice system.” The 3 pillars of AAJ are Community, Advocacy and Education. AAJ has over 50,000 members and has several different Litigation Groups made up of attorneys that specialize in different areas of the law. The Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group (TBILG) was established in 1991 in order to allow attorneys that handle Traumatic Brain Injury cases the ability to share their knowledge, techniques and experience. The TBILG has over 300 members from around the world. Pre-COVID19, the TBILG will typically put on two or three in-person conferences throughout the year and always had a reputation for bringing in great speakers and having a great turnout. Randy was asked about his election as Chair of the TBILG and had this to say: “It means a lot to me that my fellow trial lawyer colleagues bestowed upon my the great honor of leading the Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group for the next year. Our group is made up of some of the greatest TBI lawyers in the country, if not the world. I am proud to lead a group of great lawyers that have dedicated their practices to advocate for those individuals that have suffered from the devastating effects of brain injuries.” Rozek Law Offices, S.C. 3970 N Oakland Ave Ste 604 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211 (414) 374-4444 https://www.rozeklaw.com/
The vast majority of interactions between clients and Rozek Law Offices is not in-person contact. Typically, however, the initial contact between a potential client and Attorney Rozek would be an in person meeting. Due to the health concerns regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19), Rozek Law Offices has implemented new technology that will allow potential clients to retain Attorney Rozek and Rozek Law Offices without an in-person meeting. A typical new client relationship with Rozek Law Offices now looks like the following:
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After an ongoing struggle to bring justice to the victim of an attack at a Wisconsin diabetes clinic, attorney Randy Rozek of Rozek Law Offices, S.C. has won an $8.3 million victory in which a jury found hospital security at fault for the attack and the client’s resulting injuries. In 2014, Rozek’s client was in the waiting room of the diabetes clinic at a local children’s hospital when a 16-year-old girl with a history of violence viciously assaulted her. The victim, who was accompanied by her two young children, was “punched repeatedly in the face and head, had chunks of hair pulled from her head and was struck in the head with a chair,” Rozek said. The children, aged 9 and 11 at the time, were so frightened by the brutal beating that they fled to a stairwell for safety, fearing their mother had been killed by the attacker and that they would be next if the attacker was to find them. Rozek’s client survived the assault, but still struggles with symptoms of a TBI (traumatic brain injury) and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) following the attack.
Congratulations to Attorney Randy Rozek on his election to be Chair of the American Association for Justice’s Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group. The American Association for Justice (AAJ) is the largest group of legal advocates for justice in the country. According to AAJ: “For over 70 years, AAJ has successfully defended Americans’ right to trial by jury and continues to fight every day to protect our practices, our clients’ rights, and our civil justice system.” The 3 pillars of AAJ are Community, Advocacy and Education. AAJ has over 50,000 members and has several different Litigation Groups made up of attorneys that specialize in different areas of the law. The Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group (TBILG) was established in 1991 in order to allow attorneys that handle Traumatic Brain Injury cases the ability to share their knowledge, techniques and experience. The TBILG has over 300 members from around the world. Pre-COVID19, the TBILG will typically put on two or three in-person conferences throughout the year and always had a reputation for bringing in great speakers and having a great turnout. Randy was asked about his election as Chair of the TBILG and had this to say: “It means a lot to me that my fellow trial lawyer colleagues bestowed upon my the great honor of leading the Traumatic Brain Injury Litigation Group for the next year. Our group is made up of some of the greatest TBI lawyers in the country, if not the world. I am proud to lead a group of great lawyers that have dedicated their practices to advocate for those individuals that have suffered from the devastating effects of brain injuries.” Rozek Law Offices, S.C. 3970 N Oakland Ave Ste 604 Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53211 (414) 374-4444 https://www.rozeklaw.com/
The vast majority of interactions between clients and Rozek Law Offices is not in-person contact. Typically, however, the initial contact between a potential client and Attorney Rozek would be an in person meeting. Due to the health concerns regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19), Rozek Law Offices has implemented new technology that will allow potential clients to retain Attorney Rozek and Rozek Law Offices without an in-person meeting. A typical new client relationship with Rozek Law Offices now looks like the following:
MILWAUKEE, WI – We are pleased to announce that Randy Rozek, Rozek Law Offices, S. C., has been selected to the Brain Injury Association of America’s Brain Injury Preferred Attorneys Program. This is an exclusive partnership between the nation’s oldest and largest brain injury advocacy organization and one of Wisconsin’s foremost brain injury law firms. […]
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