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September 23rd is Fall Prevention Awareness Day!

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September 23, 2010 is Fall Prevention Awareness Day!

For people over 65 years of age, a fall is serious thing. Falls and injuries from falls are a major threat to health, independence and quality of life. Every year 1 out of 3 older persons has a fall and most falls occur at home. With much focus on aging in place and finding ways for seniors to stay in their homes, preventing falls should be a vital part of that plan. There are steps you can take to make your home safer and prevent falls. Removing area rugs that can cause someone to slip or trip, as well as installing grab bars in bathrooms are some measures that can be taken to prevent falls at home. Someone who has already experienced a fall is also more likely to fall, so making lifestyle changes that can prevent another fall or serious injury from a fall are also important. For example, regular exercise can strengthen muscles, as well as, help with balance and gait. You’ll also want to talk to your doctor about the medications your on to see if any of them could be increasing your risk of a fall, also keep in mind that consuming alcohol while on medication could contribute to a fall.

Falls are often the cause of serious injury in older adults and can lead to a hospital admission. Preventing falls can be done, as stated above, by making your home safer. In addition to the things you can do yourself, you can also have an evaluation by a physical or occupational therapist for help and suggestions for preventing falls at home. Exercise is key to keeping your independence for many reasons, but also for preventing falls. You can increase your strength and build muscle to protect your bones, you can also make sure you have a steady gait when walking and improve your balance, which could all prevent a fall or lessen injury from a fall. Senior centers and other community centers may offer exercise programs geared toward preventing falls or that are tailored for older adults.

For more information about preventing falls and about Fall Prevention Awareness Day visit:                                                                                                    NCOA- Center for Healthy Aging- Fall Prevention Information: http://www.healthyagingprograms.org/content.asp?sectionid=149

For programs in New Jersey or to find your Senior Center start with your County Office on Aging:   http://www.state.nj.us/health/senior/sa_aaa.shtml

NJ’s Budget Impact on Seniors

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May 26, 2010

New Jersey’s budget is in the midst of a heated debate. Governor Chris Christie has proposed the new budget and made many cuts. There have been many groups affected by the cuts that have reacted with press releases, meetings and rallies. NJFA and its partners have done much research and speaking out about the impact on our most vulnerable populations, including seniors.

Some of the proposed cuts included PAAD, NJ’s prescription drug assistance program, seniors would have been forced to pay a $310 deductible and face a co pay increase for brand name drugs from $7 to $15. Thanks to the efforts of many groups, the message of the impact of these cuts got to the legislators and they were successful in getting Gov. Christie to remove those cuts from the budget and keep the PAAD program the way it had been.

While that victory feels pretty good there are still many issues regarding the budget and seniors. The Senior Freeze program, a property tax reimbursement program, will not be given out in 2011, that is approximately $1,000 that many low to middle income seniors rely on to help make ends meet. Another item in the proposed budget that will affect the low income senior in NJ is the addition of a $5 co pay for medical day care services with a monthly cap of $25 and the elimination of medication administration as a criteria for medical day care attendance. Many caregivers rely on medical day care as part of a senior or disabled persons care plan, this will be a hardship for those who need it most.

A decrease in the provider reimbursement rate for the PCA program, a home care program that services 29,000 disabled persons and seniors, has been a hot topic in regard to Gov. Christie’s budget. The cut, which decreases the rate by approximately $2, has been the subject of budget hearing testimony due to the fact that this will cause many providers to withdraw from this vital service, leaving many clients in need without services.

With the Elder Index NJFA highlighted an issue regarding some of our most vulnerable seniors and that is the NJ SSI State Supplement which is just $31 a month and has been since 1986, a payment that is meant to help disabled persons make ends meet on a fixed income and just doesn’t cut it at that level. Recently a budget item has come to our attention that is equally troubling, the spousal supplement for caregivers of disabled persons is due to be eliminated in the proposed budget. Again, many of the cuts in this budget are affecting seniors, the disabled and their caregivers, many of whom are already living on the edge.

NJFA and many of our partner organizations have put out press releases, op eds and fact sheets, sending them to newspapers, legislators and community groups, hoping to get the word out about the proposed budget cuts and their impact on seniors. NJFA encourages everyone to contact their representatives in the legislature to make their voice heard.

You can find contact information for your local representatives at www.njleg.org

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