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Hip protectors reduce injury risk for Burnaby seniors: study

A new study featuring authors from Fraser Health and Simon Fraser University concludes that elderly test subjects living in long-term care homes who weren’t wearing specialized hip protectors when they fell were three times more likely to suffer a hi
Chris Campbell
hip pointers
Fabio Feldman, director of clinical quality and patient safety for Fraser Health, shows a pair of the hip protectors that effectively reduces the chances of hip fractures. Photo submitted

A new study featuring authors from Fraser Health and Simon Fraser University concludes that elderly test subjects living in long-term care homes who weren’t wearing specialized hip protectors when they fell were three times more likely to suffer a hip fracture than those who did.

Fraser Health demonstrated the device at Burnaby's Fellburn Care Centre, one of the long-term care homes used in the study.

Fourteen long-term care homes within Fraser Health participated in the 12-month study and 3,520 falls were recorded. Of those, hip protectors were worn in 2,108 instances. The authors looked at the data and determined the hip protectors made a difference in preventing hip fractures, which have serious consequences for the elderly.

Studies show that one in four seniors who suffer hip fractures die within a year after the injury. And if it happens to someone living in long-term care, it’s one in every two cases.