HCP Fall and Safety Program
“A Matter of Balance”

Health Care Partners (HCP) has a home-based fall and safety program designed for adults at risk for falling. It benefits adults that need to improve their balance or are experiencing a functional decline in the home. Services are 100% covered by Medicare when medical or logistical reasons exist and the patient cannot travel and/or tolerate an out-patient therapy setting.

What is
Normal Balance?

Normal balance is a skill controlled by a combination of visual, muscular, and neurologic systems. Your brain receives information from your eyes, your inner ears, and the sensation of your ankles and feet. Your body is then told how to respond to this information so balance is maintained.

DO YOU EXPERIENCE ANY OF THESE
HEALTH PROBLEMS THAT CAN AFFECT BALANCE?

PROBLEMS WITH VISION

Poor vision and need for corrective eyewear

INNER EAR COMPLICATIONS

Vertigo, hearing loss, chronic ear infections, and other diseases of the inner ear

CARDIOVASCULAR PROBLEMS

Heart & blood circulation disorders such as postural hypotension

MEDICATION ISSUES

Medications may cause drowsiness or even lower blood pressure. It is necessary to identify the effects a change in medication has on balance.

DIABETES RELATED COMPLICATIONS

Diabetes causes loss of sensation at the feet and ankles thus disrupting the ability to receive signals necessary to maintain balance.

IMPAIRMENT OF MENTAL STATUS

The number one reason for falls is inattention. Diseases that involve the brain such as dementia, mental illness, stroke, nerve disorders and brain tumors cause deficits in balance.

GENERALIZED WEAKNESS – GAIT & BALANCE PROBLEMS

Major factors relating to falls involves loss of strength and abnormalities including slowed gait, reduced stride, arthritis, and osteoporosis.

Prevention of Falls

Program Services HCP Offers

1. Our licensed therapy staff completes a comprehensive balance, fall risk, and home safety assessment in the comfort of your home.
2. Working with your physician, HCP addresses the cause of balance problems and will identify the factors that put you at risk.
3. An individualized treatment program is designed and approved by your physician.
4. One-on-one therapy sessions involving gait and strengthening exercises, instructions and safety tips are provided in your home.
5. Our trained physical therapists will review environmental risk factors and incorporate recommendations for properly fitted assistive devices, barrier removal, and education required for your recovery.

BECAUSE TASKS SUCH AS DRESSING, BATHING, MEAL PREPARATION, EATING, POSITIONING, AND EVEN DRIVING ARE IMPORTANT PARTS, OF LIVING, INDEPENDENTLY....

HCP HAS A GOAL TO ENHANCE YOUR OVERALL BALANCE RESULTING IN A MORE INDEPENDENT LIFESTYLE.

FALL - RELATED INJURIES ARE A NATIONAL ISSUE
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say:

• Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths among people over 65
• 50% of persons hospitalized after a fall will never live independently again
• Of those hospitalized for a fall only 50% will be alive a year later
• 30% of the population over the age of 65 will fall