Pets and Elderly People

Each year, approximately 8 million people are admitted into the emergency room due to fall-injuries in the US. The Center of Disease Control (CDC) recently undertook a study to determine the relationship between dogs and cats and fall-injuries.

Nearly 90,000 falls were associated with cats or dogs. 88% of injuries were related to dogs. Female owners were 2.1 times more likely to be injured than males.

Prevention:
1. Be aware of your pet and their toys at all times
2. Ensure your dog undergoes obedience training
a. Make sure your pet can walk calmly on a leash
b. Do not jump up on people
c. Teach pets to “sit”, “stay” and “relax”
3. Discourage pets from lying at the foot of the bed or chairs
4. Discourage over-excitement

Check out the full report at CDC