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Fall prevention for Chelsea elders
By Albert Amateau The Penn South Program for Seniors is sponsoring a fall prevention project at the Penn South Co-op in Chelsea to educate seniors about what they can do to avoid falling in their homes. The program, funded by City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, will offer seniors assessments of their apartments and make any necessary repairs or changes in their homes to prevent falls from taking place. The program will also provide group counseling to seniors about preventing falls, and will run for four consecutive Thursdays starting on Feb. 28. The Falls Prevention Program will combine the experience of the co-op and Penn South Social Services Inc. with the work of Visiting Nurse Services of New York, St. Vincent’s Medical Center and Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged—all coordinated by the Jewish Association of Services for the Aged. Falls among seniors, often resulting in serious injuries, hospitalization, high medical costs and permanent disabilities, are a major public health problem. A third of people 75 and older living at home suffer falls each year in the U.S., and of these, half fall repeatedly, according to Penn South Social Services, Inc. The sixth leading cause of death in people over 65 is accidents, the majority being falls. Penn South is a moderate-income co-op with 10 buildings and 2,820 apartments between Eighth and Ninth Aves., from 23rd to 29th Sts. It has been designated a NORC (Naturally Occurring Retirement Community) by New York State because more than half its residents are older than 65.
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