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| Frequently Asked Questions |
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• Is the hip protector reimbursable by CMS (Medicare)?
Answer No. CMS considers it preventive and not as treating the complications of a real disease of older people; Osteoporosis. Like breast x-rays for early cancer, there may have to be Congressional support to pass a law reimbursing the purchaser. At this time there are 1000 hip fractures a day in the US costing $25,000 to $30,000 to repair and rehabilitate for each. This amounts to 900 million dollars a month or 11 billion dollars a year. The National Health Service in England is now covering the cost of hip protectors and hopefully that will happen in the United States.
• Are there any side effects of wearing the FallGard Hip Protector?
No. We have not received any reports of skin ulcers or any other problems in thousands of patients, many of whom wear it , even at night because up to 15% of fractures occur after bedtime. Non institutionalized elderly persons should at least wear it during high risk activities like skating, bicycle riding, climbing hills, running, and aerobic exercise classes. In addition those persons who have fallen at least twice in the last year should wear it. Older persons should wear it when there is ice and snow on the ground and when there is rain, making city streets slippery. All persons over 65 should own a protector and wear it as needed for high risk situations. Those over 75 should wear it as much as possible, especially women. Persons with documented osteoporosis or osteopenia by DEXA scan at any age should wear it all the time.
• Does the FallGard Hip Protector actually prevent hip fractures and save lives?
Yes. In one randomized control trial at Washington University Research Nursing homes there were 19 fractures on unpadded hips and only 1 on a padded hip and that patient fell backward and not on their hip.
A recent clinical trial on over 2000 high risk nursing home residents in one large nursing home chain wearing the new FallGard FG-04 pads showed 0 fractures in the first 10 months of 2004. The 6500 residents not wearing the FallGard hip protector had 67 hip fractures in only 2 months. This is the largest study ever reported. Yes again, the FallGard Protector works.
• Do all hip protectors work as well?
Others have been tested, but the trials have usually involved too few persons to be significant and many of these trials have shown no significant protective effect. Most have not been tested in government sponsored randomized clinical trials. FallGard research has been funded by the National Institute on Aging(NIA). We are are not aware of such support for other hip protector studies from the US government.
• Can a hip fracture be fatal?
Yes. Over 100,000 of the 360,000 hip fracture victims in the US each year die within 1 year after the fracture. Death rates are higher for the 78 to 95 year age group. This one injury kills more persons each year than all the motor vehicle accidents (42,500 deaths) and AIDS (16,000 deaths) in the United States.
• Will wearing the hip protector make my hips look bigger and make me appear fat?
No.The hip pads are only .7 inches thick and are not usually visible under ordinary clothing.
• How much are they?
FallGard charges $85 for a standard hip protector which provides 4 pair of underwear with pockets to place the pads in, so that they cover the hip. Since the pockets are open at the top only two pads are needed.They are transferred friom soiled or worn underwear to a clean pair. This provides you with the equivalent of 4 hip protectors for an average price of $21.25 per protector. We believe this is the least expensive protector commercially available.
• What diseases increase the liklihood of hip fracture?
Renal failure on dialysis; Parkinson's Disease; Multiple Sclerosis; Osteoporosis; Huntington's chorea and persons with unsteady gait like Alzheimer and Vascular Dementia patients. Of course surgical and natural menopause are other major risk factors for osteoporosis and fracture.
• Do I need a hip protector if I take Calcium and Vitamin D or Fosamax or Actonel ?
Yes. These treatments have been shown to decrease fractures less than 25% or not at all after age 80. They do protect the spine however, but should not be counted on to protect your hips.
• I thought hips just snapped and broke because of osteoporosis (brittle bones)?
The idea of a snap then a fall is common but incorrect. 95% or more fractures are caused by a fall which causes the break. Hip protectors work by reducing the peak impact force.
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