More than HALF of serious falls go UNREPORTED by home health agencies
How a fall could TAKE YOU DOWN [Happening more than ANYONE thought]
Friend, when a loved one LOSES their independence… and RELIES on somebody else to just get through the basics of the day…
You really FEEL for them.
If it gets to the point where you can’t take care of them by yourself anymore…
And you’ve got to hire help…
Don’t beat yourself up about it.
Sometimes when somebody on the older side reaches a certain point… getting some in-home care is the BEST option.
But there’s something you should know before putting your TRUST into a caretaker you hire…
No matter HOW highly they’ve been recommended to you.
And it’s better you learn about it now… BEFORE you’re the one who’s putting their life in somebody else’s hands.
Because there’s a dark secret of home health agencies – one that could mean their track record isn’t NEARLY as good as it may seem.
I’m talking about when the person being cared for at home FALLS…
And sometimes NEVER gets up again.
Now, I’m sure you’ve heard how DANGEROUS taking a fall can be for those in their later years.
Among folks over age 65, Ii’s actually the LEADING cause of death and injury, according to the CDC.
That racks up to 920,000 annual hospitalizations!
Not surprising, when you consider how you could SHATTER a bone… KNOCK yourself unconscious… or WORSE.
That’s just the falls they KNOW about…
But as it turns out, there are MORE falls that go UNREPORTED…
Some of them FATAL.
See, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has been REQUIRING home health agencies (or HHAs, for short) to divulge the details of the care the patient is receiving…
How they’re doing…
And if any problems have arisen.
Those HHA reports have been COMING UP SHORT, to say the least.
They’ve been MISSING more than HALF of incidences of serious falls – the ones that have resulted in MAJOR injury and/or a hospital stay.
How does the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services know?
Because the patients filed for Medicare claims to cover their treatment!
It would be LAUGHABLE… if it weren’t so SAD and SCARY.
According to the brief issued by the Office of Inspector General… that means that the MAIN tool that folks use to evaluate potential home care providers is WAY OFF.
I’m talking about the Medicare Care Compare website… which is SUPPOSED to help you filter out providers with low ratings.
Truth of the matter is, some of those providers are trying to GAME the system… with a little “oopsie” of omitting serious falls from their records.
Now, you might think that some agencies might just happen to have a lot of patients who are at a high risk for falls… and the more falls that happen, the more that fall through the cracks.
But the stats tell a different story.
The agencies with the LOWEST reported number of falls are the ones with the HIGHEST number of falls that were “left out” of their reports.
And likewise, the agencies with the HIGHEST fall incidence were the ones with the MOST ACCURATE numbers… with the LOWEST number of unreported falls.
It all boils down to this…
Agencies want to keep their ratings high… so they can get more customers…
Under FALSE pretenses.
It just makes me SICK.
The good news is… you can PREVENT falls… even in folks who are at high risk.
If you’re not sure how bad the risk is, there’s a free online tool you can check called the “Falls Free CheckUp” from the National Council on Aging.
You can fill it out on behalf of yourself or someone else… with information about what meds are being taken… balance and strength… and even mood.
No matter what the quiz results are, though, there are certain things anybody can do to reduce the likelihood of a fall.
Start by TWEAKING just a few simple parts of your daily routine:
DRUGS: Do a quick eval of your pill plan, especially the ones that could cause sleepiness. The MORE meds that get combined… the HIGHER the risk is for side effects that could lead to a fall.
EYESIGHT: Get your eyes checked and your glasses prescription up to date. Vision problems could lead to tripping over something you can’t see… missing a step… or worse.
BATHROOM EMERGENCIES: Folks who find themselves RUNNING for the toilet are more likely to fall… especially if it happens in the middle of the night, when they’re half-asleep and the lights are off. Address any urinary issues that might cause URGENCY… and when you’ve gotta go, don’t wait. Just go!
And I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to maintain your STRENGTH well into your golden years. I’ll be sharing more ways of how to do that in my monthly newsletter.
For better health,
Dr. Marc S. Micozzi, M.D., Ph.D.
{{sightcare03="/inline-promos"}}