D3O®-based Hip Protectors Offer New Standard of Care for Preventing Hip Fractures
Medical Protection Technologies will demonstrate its next-generation Fall-Safe® Hip Protectors at the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) Convention & Expo Oct. 6–9, 2013, in Phoenix (booth #1031). The advanced design and materials of Fall-Safe Hip Protectors reflect an important trend in the care of older adults—an emphasis on preventing the fracture, not just the fall.
Hip protectors are specialized undergarments containing a pair of pads designed to prevent hip fractures from a fall onto the hip. Fall-Safe Hip Protectors are the only hip protectors on the market featuring pads made from the patented shock-absorbing material D3O®. Soft and flexible in its natural state, D3O instantly becomes rigid when subjected to the impact of a fall, only to immediately become soft a flexible again after the impact energy has been absorbed by the unique material. As a result, Fall-Safe Hip Protectors offer the unique combination of rigidity when needed, yet softness and comfort at all other times—even while sleeping. Used extensively in military, law enforcement, extreme sports, and other industries, D3O now is available for the benefit of older adults at risk for hip fractures.
D. Stephen Robins, M.D., CEO of Medical Protection Technologies, said that despite many years of focusing on preventing falls, falls and hip fractures continue to occur at epidemic rates. “Given the limited success of fall-prevention strategies, facilities are increasingly turning to fracture prevention—including the use of hip protectors—to improve their quality of care and decrease medicolegal liability exposure,” Robins said. “However, no matter how effective hip protectors are at reducing the impact of a fall, if they are uncomfortable or unsightly, older adults won’t wear them—as has been illustrated in numerous studies.“
Also, unlike other pads, Fall-Safe pads are concave and sculpted to fit the body, and have grooves and holes for breathability. By remaining soft and flexible until the moment of impact, they provide unmatched effectiveness, durability, comfort, and low profile—all keys to successful hip protector implementation.
Injurious falls occur frequently and repeatedly in nursing homes due to advanced age, co-morbidities, and prescription medications. Studies in nursing homes indicate that the mean number of falls per bed per year is 1.5, ranging up to 3.6. Patients with dementia experience falls at nearly double that rate. In addition, about 35 percent of fall-related injuries occur in non-ambulatory residents, including those using wheelchairs. As a result, the risk of hip fracture can be much higher for those living in nursing homes than for those living outside such settings. A 2012 study found that hip fractures represent up to 60 percent of fall-related injuries in nursing homes. One in five hip fracture patients dies within one year and, of the survivors, one-half of those who were relatively independent before the injury never regain their independence.