ADRC works to lower that number

By Kana Coonce

Contributing Writer

KEWAUNEE – Falls are the No. 1 cause of death in the elderly in Kewaunee County.

Though registration will have closed for the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of the Lakeshore’s Stepping On workshop by the time this article has been published, the workshop will most likely be canceled due to a lack of registrants.

This will have marked the second cancellation of an ADRC falls prevention workshop this year, following a cancellation for the same reason in spring.

“For whatever reason, we just are struggling to get people to register for the class,” said Lisa Van Remorel, caregiver specialist at the ADRC of the Lakeshore, which serves Manitowoc and Kewaunee Counties.

“We’re number one in the nation for falls — and it’s not due to weather,” said Van Remorel.

This lines up with data provided by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS).

As of 2015, Wisconsin’s rate of deaths caused by preventable falls for people aged 65 and up was double the national average.

The ADRC’s Stepping On workshop would have been a seven-week, evidence-based program designed to “identify and provide suggestions for removing or avoiding fall hazards in and outside your home,” according to the ADRC marketing information.

Each session is two hours and features a different guest speaker to discuss safety in the home and the community, including how to get up from a fall.

Falls prevention training is one of many programs and services offered by the ADRC of the Lakeshore, an offshoot of the DHS who administers to the elderly and those with disabilities.

“A lot of people don’t know what the aging and disability resource center is,” Van Remorel said, “but residents are encouraged to come in.” 

The Kewaunee County ADRC is located at 810 Lincoln St., Kewaunee.