A North Texas hospital is working to reduce falls among patients, thanks to technology and teamwork.
At John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, nurses and pharmacists work together to help patients. They're using electronic medical records -- and high-tech bed alarms that speak to patients.
That鈥檚 the latest story in , an ongoing 四虎影院 News Breakthroughs series that explores the issues surrounding this serious medical issue.
Panel discussion Tuesday
Join 四虎影院 at 6 p.m. Tuesday for a live panel discussion on . The event is at Baylor鈥檚 Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center. Learn about the latest research, ask questions and share your story. RSVPs are required. . And register .
When an older person falls and breaks a hip, it鈥檚 a moment that changes everything. Not just for patients, but for their families, too. Falls are the leading cause of death for older Americans. One of every five people who breaks a hip after age 50 dies within a year. For those who survive, it means a big life change.
Explore the stories of North Texans and their families who have experienced this dramatic life change. Learn more about the research. And find out how to .
There are videos, radio stories and pictures to explore, too.
Previous stories from 四虎影院's Lauren Silverman include:
Chapter 8: Another type of fracture, just inches away from the hip, is becoming more common. Pelvic fractures can be just as devastating as hip fractures, and often take longer to heal. A broken pelvis brought one North Texas family closer together. Yu-ying Lee, who's 91, bounced back from a broken pelvis thanks in part to a supportive family. Read of .
Chapter 7: Finding out the price of a new car or a new phone isn鈥檛 so hard. But how about the price of a new hip? The cost of medical procedures like hip replacements can vary by thousands of dollars 鈥� even tens of thousands of dollars. Sean Cavanaugh, deputy director of the federal government鈥檚 Center of Medicare, talks about who鈥檚 paying what and why. Read of .
Chapter 6: Repairing a broken hip has come a long way in the last century -- from ivory and rubber to precision titanium implants. The era of modern hip replacements started in the 1960s 鈥� and surgery techniques and biomaterial designs have evolved. Today, about 2.5 million Americans live with an artificial hip. Read of
Chapter 5: Dan McCoy knows the health care system inside and out. He鈥檚 a doctor and chief medical officer of the biggest insurer in Texas, Blue Cross Blue Shield. But even he couldn鈥檛 imagine what would happen after his dad fell and fractured his hip. Read of
Chapter 4: For Courtney Sands, last year was a nightmare. In December, at age 81, Sands landed in a hospital after slipping and breaking her wrist and hip. But she was determined to get back to her beloved home. Home design and technology have changed dramatically over the last two decades. Someone who's fractured a hip might once have been forced into a nursing home. Now it's possible to 鈥渁ge in place.鈥� Sands' desire to "fall-proof" her home is the focus of of .
Chapter 3: Nine years ago, Joyce Powell was in a hospital, on her way to the bathroom, when she fell and broke her hip. She recovered. But there鈥檚 something she hasn鈥檛 gotten over: A fear of falling. It might sound silly, but it turns out that people who are afraid of falling are actually more likely to fall. That鈥檚 why Powell attends a fall prevention class at the University of Texas at Arlington: not just to get stronger, but to face her demons.
Chapter 2: Barb Smelser is a North Carolina woman who frequently travels across the country to take care of her elderly father, Earl Schmalz, who fell and broke his hip. Learn about the special challenges that caregivers face.
Chapter 1: Jeanette Mariani was an independent grandma. Then she fell and broke her hip 鈥� and everything changed.
Also, in May, explored hip fractures with medical experts of Baylor Medical Center and of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas.
