My mother fainted twice this year. The first time was in March, when she blacked out in the middle of the night after going to the toilet. She was hospitalised with a hairline fracture on one of her ribs.
Since then, she had been having frequent spells of dizziness. She can suddenly feel dizzy at any time, out of the blue. We know sometimes she gets giddy if she stands up too quickly, which is a known problem and easy to manage so long as she gets up slowly and waits a while before walking.
But the scary thing was, she can get dizzy and faint at any time, even when she’s comfortably seated on the sofa and watching TV!
It was the unpredictable nature of her dizzy spells that was scary. Sometimes her blood pressure is too high. Sometimes it is too low. We could never tell when or where it would happen. It was like a time bomb waiting to go off.
She went through a series of tests and was hospitalised a couple of times after having dizzy spells. But doctors could never find anything wrong. We were all very worried. What if it happens again?
And it did happen again. This time it was even more serious. In July, while I was at work, my mother suddenly called and told me, “昭宏，我跌倒，现在头破血流！“ (“Zhaohong, I’ve fallen, and now my head is bleeding profusely!”).
My mother is not one to exaggerate. If she could use such a strong term as 头破血流, it meant it was serious. I told her to hang up, that I would call an ambulance immediately, and asked her to wait for it. I found out later that she was cooking in the kitchen when she suddenly blacked out and fell backwards, hitting the back of her head.
I rushed to the hospital, just in time to see my mother being wheeled into the emergency ward by the ambulance crew. Her head was bandaged, but to my relief, she was still conscious and lucid. I was very lucky that this time, other than the six stitches she needed on her head, my mother didn’t suffer any serious, permanent injury. We all know that falling and hitting the back of your head is not something to be taken lightly, so I was also very thankful that I still had my mother.
But it also made me very fearful. What if it happens again? I desperately wanted my mother to get the proper treatment, to get well so that it wouldn’t happen again. Over the next few weeks, after more tests and dizzy spells, the final diagnosis from the doctor was that elderly people can faint for a variety of reasons. It’s very common, and there is no real treatment. The only thing they can do is to be careful.
In Singapore, on average, one in three adults above the age of 65 suffer a fall each year. That proportion rises with age, to one out of two among adults above the age of 85.
Since there was no treatment, prevention was not an option. The next best thing was fall protection.
I started searching for a solution. I recalled videos I’d seen on TikTok about this wearable airbag. It was a vest that had airbags that inflated immediately when a fall was detected, cushioning the fall and protecting the wearer from serious injury. It protected major parts of the body such as the head, shoulders, chest, back and hips.
At that time, I just found it very interesting, but I never did anything about it. Even after my mother’s first fall, it still didn’t cross my mind to get this vest for my mum. But after this second fall, I was freaked out about the possibility of it happening a third time.
This time, I decided to do something about it. At first I was just looking for something to protect my own mother. Then I recalled, while I was at A&E waiting for my mother to be treated, I saw another old lady being wheeled in with a bandage on her head. But unlike my mother, it was her forehead that was injured, as I could see the blood stain on the bandage.
There was another old gentleman talking to the medical staff. From the conversation, it was clear that it was another “faint and fall” situation. And while I was in the A&E holding area, my mother pointed out to me many other elderly patients in the room, all with fall injuries.
I realised that perhaps this was a sign for me to do something more. What started out as a search for a way to help my own mother became a calling to do something to help more elderly people. If I can popularise this airbag vest, I can save a lot of lives.
But I know I am going to face a lot of roadblocks. I know many children love their parents a lot and are willing to buy this for them. After 17 years of dealing with senior citizens, I know the main problem is going to be convincing the elderly to wear the vest. There will be three common objections, and I will now share effective strategies for handling them.
Objection #1: “Singapore is so hot, how can I wear this?”
True, Singapore is a tropical country with a hot climate. Putting on an additional vest could make you sweat more.
But the thing is, you don’t need to wear this vest all the time. When you are in a safe position, such as sitting on a sofa or lying on the bed, you don’t need to wear it. You only need to put it on in situations that are higher risk, such as going to the toilet, cooking in the kitchen, or going on a staircase. It’s just like wearing a jacket.
And the FallSafe Airbag Vest now has a new Lite version, which has bigger openings and is cooler to wear.
Objection #2: “It’s too expensive.”
Yes, the cost is a little high. But compared to hospitalisation costs, which is higher? The airbag vest costs $1,599. To replace the canisters after an activation, another $199. Total cost is less than $1,800.
In a retroactive study done by the Health Promotion Board (HPB) based on 2002 data, the average hospitalisation bill for patients admitted for hip fracture at public hospitals was $7,367. That’s four times higher than the cost of the airbag vest, and this was based on prices from 23 years ago! Can you imagine how much more it costs now?
Buying an airbag vest is a very good investment.
Objection #3: “It’s too troublesome.”
Many of the elderly will say it is too troublesome. I do have a way to handle this, but if you are the child, it may be difficult for you to say it to your parent.
So please show them this article, and let me speak on your behalf. This is a personal message from me to your parents.
"Dear Aunty and Uncle, yes it may be a bit troublesome for you to wear the vest. But each time you fall and get hospitalised, you may be the one in pain, but your children also suffer.
They need to take leave, visit you at the hospital, and bring you for follow-up checks. They have their own work and family to take care of too. Can you really bear for them to go through all this trouble for you?
If you can’t bear for them to go through this trouble, then please wear the vest. Save yourself, and help your children too."
Don't wait for the next fall. Act now!
Author:
Warren Chew
Founder, ELFIGO Mobility
Learn more: 👉 FallSafe Fall Protection Airbag Safety Vest