Next week is National Fall Prevention Awareness Week. Falls are one of the leading causes of injury in the elderly, though are often preventable. Physical Therapist Justin Plum at Knoxville Hospital and Clinics tells KNIA/KRLS News that everyone should periodically check on their elderly loved ones to make sure their risk of falling is minimized.

“First and foremost would be to make sure they’re utilizing their assistive devices, and using them correctly, assisting them in and out of their homes, making sure their environment is set up correctly. Other things we have to look at is if they’re taking proper medicine, is there a medicine interaction that’s causing some of their fall issues, if they have vision problems, make sure they get their eyes checked out, and also if they have issues with their feet or wearing the proper footwear.”

National Fall Prevention Awareness Week runs September 21st-25th. More information can be found here.