News

Valley Hill, Council on Aging win grant for elderly fall prevention

By Bill Moss, Published: July 12, 2016

Valley Hill Fire Department and the Henderson County Council on Aging have been selected as a winners of a 2016 NC Regional Remembering When conference scholarship.

The Remembering When program, sponsored by the National Fire Protection Association,  focuses on fire safety and fall prevention for older adults. Training through the Remembering When conference will provide the team with materials and information geared to help the Henderson County community reduce injuries and deaths related to fire and falls among older adults. Upon completion of the training, the Council on Aging and Valley Hill Fire Department will work together to provide presentations to older adults in Henderson County, train staff members on fire and fall prevention, and perform home visits specifically geared towards the Remembering When™ program.

“We are excited to be partnering with Valley Hill Fire Department on this project and look forward to bringing the Remembering When program back to the Henderson County community,” said Wendy Billings, Outreach and Resource Coordinator for the Council. “This fire safety and fall prevention training will serve our staff, volunteers, clients, and community well.”

"Working together with the Council on Aging for Henderson County will enable Valley Hill Fire Department to better connect and educate the older adults that live in our community so they can continue to live independently at home in a safe environment” says Chief Tim Garren.

Additionally, on June 30, the Valley Hill Fire Department hosted a lunch-and-learn session for the Partnership for Independent Living, the Council on Aging’s care management team. “The breadth of information was incredibly helpful," said Suzanne Sherrill, a care manager with the Council on Aging. "From learning that 60-65 percent of their calls are medical related and how they deal with falls, to seeing how the jaws of life work, I’m now equipped with a better understanding of their services and better able to serve our clients.”