It happened to former president Jimmy Carter, but politics was not the problem. It happens every year to one out of four Americans over the age of 65. What is it? A fall, and falls are the leading cause both of fatal and non-fatal injuries for senior citizens.

That is why the Deep River Public Library has scheduled a fall prevention program for Tuesday, Dec. 3 at the library at 11 a.m.

“It is less costly to help people prevent falls than to deal with the consequences of one,” explained Brad Murphy, owner Care One Security LLC.

Care One Security LLC provides the program, given by an employee Jeff Piscitelli.

Care One Security sells personal alarms that purchasers can wear to signal a fall, but, according to Murphy, the fall prevention programs are not designed as sales pitches.

“We are providing a service. We are not doing any selling,” Piscitelli said. “The program is honest, informative, and educational and there is a huge need for this type of program. We are definitely there to help.”

Deep River Library Director Susan Rooney said that she was persuaded that Care One was not coming to make a product promotion after talking with Piscitelli.

“I thought this would be a great program to offer our seniors,” she noted. “Falls can lead to hospitalizations and contribute to lengthy rehabilitations.”

Former president Carter, for example, has suffered three falls this year. In the first, last May, he broke his hip, resulting in hip replacement surgery. In October, Carter suffered two falls; the first gave him a black eye, and, in the next, he fractured his pelvis. The result of the October accidents was an operation in early November to relieve pressure on his brain caused by bleeding. Emory University Hospital reported Carter did well in surgery and has since returned to his home in Plains, Georgia.

Falls “can also trigger a fear of falling, leading older adults to limit their activity,” Rooney said. “I have witnessed this fear in relatives and have seen how it affects their independence and thought it would be very positive to offer a program on fall prevention.”

Piscitelli’s talk includes a PowerPoint presentation detailing steps that senior citizens can take to prevent falls, detailing what kinds of safety changes should be made in all key living spaces from front steps and stairs to bedrooms and bathrooms.

Beyond the home, the presentation covers other suggestions for fall prevention from having eyesight and hearing checked to enrolling in a balance program to reviewing medications with a physician.

So far, Piscitelli has presented at some 25 senior citizen centers and is now reaching out to talk at libraries.

The program has made Piscitelli, now in his 30s, far more aware of the dangers of falling. When he himself recently slipped and fell, he had one thought.

“Wow, this would have gone a lot worse if I had been older. I could have seriously injured myself,” he said.

Fall Prevention Program

The Deep River Public Library presents a Fall Prevention Program on Tuesday, Dec. 3 at 11 a.m. at the library, 150 Main Street. The presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, call 860-526-6039.