The Oshawa Express After a few falls and a broken wrist, Phyllis Edwards’ decided it was time to find out if there was more to her accidents than meets the eye.

That’s why the 75-year-old was referred to a group of local health professionals who have joined forces to improve the lives of elderly individuals prone to falls.

Thanks to Lakeridge Health’s Specialized Assessment of the Frail Elderly, or SAFE, Clinic, Edwards had the opportunity to get to the root of the problem.“Falls are so complex,” says Michelle Acorn, a nurse practitioner and one of those who runs the program.

“A fall is a symptom of a problem.”

Through the clinic, first-time clients like Edwards undergo a 2-hour comprehensive assessment that tests everything from walking and balance to cognitive skills with a team of nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and physicians with expertise in rehab. Staff members take a thorough medical history, run diagnostics or labs, examine existing health problems, medications, nutrition, activity levels, dementia screening and social aspects such as living arrangements.

Followup visits take 1-hour and the clinic generally serves four clients per day, five days a week. Clients are sent to the clinic by a referral from their primary health care provider and are usually 75 years or older, living at home or in a retirement residence, have multiple medical problems and have experienced a recent decline in their independence or a recent fall. The comprehensive assessment, says Acorn, helps the team determine the cause of falls, which can be related to anything from osteoporosis to medication to footwear.

And, for Edwards, it means a better quality of life.“I’ve been so at ease,” she says. “(The clinic) really made me feel better.” In addition to the health assessment, the team may recommend a home assessment to look at hazards and make suggestions such as adding a handrail to the front steps. All the information is forward to the client’s primary health care provider. SAFE began two years ago as a falls assessment clinic based out of the Whitby hospital site and relocated to Oshawa following the hospital’s fire last summer.

While Acorn says the intention is to return to Whitby once the site is ready, there are plans to expand the program with sites throughout the region. Durham MPP John O’Toole believes services such as SAFE are vital to maintaining a good quality of life for the elderly. O’Toole visited the clinic recently as part of National Nursing Week’s “Take Your MPP to Work Day”.“I think what they’re doing here is so important,” he says, adding that a fall can be the first step in the deterioration of an elderly person’s lifestyle.