About 47,000 older Americans are treated in emergency rooms each year from falls associated with walkers and canes, according to a study that suggests that there is room for improvement in the use and design of walking aids.
"It's important to make sure people use these devices safely," said Judy A. Stevens, an epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the study's lead author. "It gives them greater independence, but at the same time it can be a hazard if not used properly."
The study, which was released Monday and is to be published in this month's Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that 87 percent of fall injuries involved walkers and 12 percent involved canes. . . .
The New York Times - June 29, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/30/health/30fall.html
