How to prevent falls during the winter
Now that the cold and snowy weather has finally arrived, Manitobans are being reminded of the risks of falling.
Epidemiologist Cynthia Carr is reminding people to be extra careful during these types of winter weather conditions as they can pose safety issues.
“Falls are a significant safety issue for our senior residents, both in the home and outside of the home,” she said in an interview with CTV Morning Live on Friday.
Carr noted that falls account for more than 20,000 hospitalizations every year in Canada.
“When you are in the emergency department, which I happened to be in a week ago, you can see the impact of falls,” she said.
“Elderly people who have fallen in the home and then they’re in the emergency department, they need care, they might have other conditions.”
Carr explained that when elderly people are injured during a fall, they may experience long-term hospitalization, as well as complexities from surgeries and other illnesses.
“That is really important in terms of caution and prevention both in the home and outside the home in terms of vigilance for fall prevention,” she said.
This warning comes as hospitals are seeing an increase in wait times and admissions.
According to Carr, there tends to be an uptick in visits to the emergency department in the weeks following the holiday season, particularly because of respiratory viruses.
“This is not unusual, but it is a huge pressure on the system,” she said.
She noted that in one week at the end of last month, there were 4,931 urgent care and emergency department visits in Manitoba.
“That is a large number of visits that our health-care system is trying to handle,” she said.
“The more some of these very infectious respiratory illnesses are passed around, the more people that are showing up at urgent care and emergency for care, the wait times get longer.”
Carr said Manitobans should call 911 if they or someone they are with experiences unconsciousness or difficulty breathing.
For those who are unsure, she suggests contacting Health Links or going to the WRHA’s website for guidance.
- With files from CTV’s Ainsley McPhail.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Tobacco giants would pay out $32.5 billion to provinces, smokers in proposed deal
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Robert Pickton's handwritten book seized after his death in hopes of uncovering new evidence
A handwritten book was seized from B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton's prison cell following his death earlier this year, raising hopes of uncovering new evidence in a series of unprosecuted murders.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year's attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel's most wanted man.
Indian government employee charged in foiled murder-for-hire plot in New York City
The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges Thursday against an Indian government employee in connection with a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.