Business Spotlight – Falls in the Home Can Cause Serious Injury

Did you know that in the Guelph region there are almost 900 emergency room visits each year as a result of falls in the home to children between the ages of 1 and 5 years? Most children are hurt on stairs because they were playing on or near the stairs, or they just weren’t able to “save themselves” from falling when they lost their balance. The other most common place where children get hurt is falling off of furniture. Since children are “top heavy” they often fall headfirst when they trip or lose their balance, falling into the ground and causing serious neck or head injuries. These types of falls are made worse when a child falls from furniture and hits their head on objects as they fall (e.g., coffee table, night table, headboards on beds). Research has shown that you cannot count on your child to always follow safety rules. Professor Barbara Morrongiello from the University of Guelph’s Child Development Research Unit recognizes that it is not possible to watch your child every minute, so she recommends parents try using ALTER to find other ways to keep your child safe.

On the website (ALTERforChildSafety.ca) Dr. Morrongiello explains how to use A.L.T.E.R. to remember 5 different ways to look at child safety in the home. These helpful strategies provide a number of options for keeping your child safe from falls in a way that is flexible and manageable in a busy household.

Learn more by visiting the website: http://ALTERforChildSafety.ca