Image of male nurse pushing senior woman in a wheelchair in nursing facility

An Illinois-based company has kicked off a multi-state project designed to help predict falls among assisted living and skilled nursing facility residents.

Simply Rehab LLC made the announcement this week at the annual Life Services Network convention in Chicago. Using the Berg Balance Scale Test and other internationally tested falls prediction techniques, researchers will compare test scores with instances of actual falls to come up with ways to prevent falls before they happen, rather than simply react to falls after the fact. A handful of facilities in Illinois, Colorado and North Carolina have been selected for the project.

In making their announcement, Simply Rehab LLC cited Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services statistics that show nursing homes report five falls per year for every 10 residents. More information is available at www.simplyrehab.com.