One in three  trauma patients admitted to Highland Hospital’s Emergency Department are seniors injured from a fall.

Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among seniors. Falls threaten their safety and independence. Falls can impact the senior’s life—they can fear falling, and as a result, limit their activities and social engagements, resulting in physician decline, depression, social isolation and feelings of helplessness.

However, falling is not an inevitable result of aging. With adjustments to their lifestyle, partnering with community resources, and participating in programs through Highland Hospital’s Fall Prevention Clinic, seniors can gain the confidence and support to increase their independence and become more actively involved in their communities.

Falls are preventable—here is a partial list of things seniors can do to reduce their risk of falling:

• Wear thin rubber soled shoes with shallow treads.
• Pick up their feet when walking – walk heel-toe.
• Use handrails.
• Avoid rushing – take their time – focus on task at hand.
• Remove slipping/tripping hazards immediately.
• Exercise regularly.
• Install grab bars around their tub or shower.
• Use non-skid strips or tub mats.
• Eat well and drink plenty of non-caffeinated beverages.
• Take medications as they are prescribed.
• Never add medications—even non-prescription/herbal remedies without talking to their doctor.
• Make sure there is ONE pharmacist who knows about ALL the medications they are taking.
• Avoid sitting on low furniture – add cushions to raise seat height.
• Paint the edge of each stair a bright color so they can clearly see it.
• Avoid wearing long nightgowns or other clothing that they might step on.
• Never carry items in a way that prevent them from seeing where they are putting their feet.
• Examine the way they do daily tasks and see if they can develop safer ways to accomplish them (such as carrying laundry or the garbage).
• Take a moment whenever they trip or stumble and figure out what caused it – that’s how they can prevent the next stumble
• Create their own personal “Falls Prevention Program.

Mission of the Highland Hospital Fall Prevention Clinic :  To identify older adults who are at risk for a fall and provide them with assessments, screenings, education, resources and interventions that will decrease their fall risk and thereby reduce the number of preventable falls suffered by older adults in the county.

Patients are eligible to register for the Fall Prevention Clinic only with a referral from their primary care provider. The clinic provides physical and occupational therapy assessments, medication reviews, fall prevention education, and home safety resources for older adults who are assessed at having a high risk of falling.

The Fall Prevention Clinic occurs the 2^nd and 4^th Monday of every month at Highland Hospital, Building K, 6th floor.

For more information on this program, contact Stefania Kaplanes at skaplanes@alamedahealthsystem.org

Trauma is an epidemic in the U.S. as intentional mass casualty incidents continue to rise nationwide. Death due to bleeding can occur in minutes.  No longer is knowledge of CPR or First Aid training enough for the general public. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) recommends that the public, as immediate responders, should know how to stop life-threatening bleeding.

Highland Hospital recognizes the value of training community organizations and the public how to control bleeding by correctly applying pressure or using tourniquets, and offers free community training workshops at its facilities and in central locations throughout its communities. The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma and Alameda Health System are committed to the Zero Preventable Deaths and Stop the Bleed campaigns.

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidenced-based practice used to identify, reduce and prevent problematic use, abuse and dependence on alcohol and illicit drugs. The SBIRT model is based on an Institute of Medicine recommendation calling for community-based screening for the health-risk behaviors, including substance abuse.

Screening – a healthcare professional assesses a patient for risky substance use behaviors using standardized screening tools.

Brief Intervention – a healthcare professional engages a patient showing risky substance use behaviors in a short conversation, providing feedback and advice

Referral to Treatment – a healthcare professional provides a referral to brief therapy or additional treatment to patients who screen in need of additional services

Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Program

The Highland Hospital Child Passenger Safety program educates and creates awareness about child passenger safety to patients of Alameda Health System and residents of Alameda County.  The goal of the program is to increase and sustain awareness among caretakers for safety seat and seat belt use for infants and children up to 18 years old.

The AHS Trauma division partners with AAA for cars seats for parents of babies born at Highland Hospital who cannot afford to purchase them.

Infant Safe Sleep Model

Infants spend the majority of their days sleeping, so it is important for new parents to be aware of safety measures while their babies sleep.  About 3,500 babies die each year in the United States during sleep because of unsafe sleep environments.

This program is intended to provide staff, and new parents who reside in Alameda County, with updated information from the American Academy of Pediatrics on safe sleep and suffocation prevention.

Through Highland Hospital’s Trauma Violence Intervention Program (TVIP), Trauma Prevention medical staff use evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches to care for survivors of violent injury with the aim of reducing violent recidivism or retaliation.

The goal of this program is to reduce the likelihood of repeat violent injury (trauma recidivism) or retaliation for incoming trauma patients who have sustained injuries from physical assault, gunshots or stab wounds.

Using the evidence-based intervention strategies and referrals to community-based organizations for employment, educational training, housing, mental health, legal assistance and community services, Highland Hospital staff attempt to guide these trauma patients away from further victimization during their hospitalization.