Injuries from falls were the focus of a recent report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, and quite a large number of Moose Jaw residents visited the hospital for the same reason.

"Falls are the number on injury in Canada, that's what gets every Canadian sent to the hospital and it's all ages," explained Merissa Scarlett, Community Relations Coordinator with the Saskatchewan Safety Council. "Seniors are more of the focus but that doesn't mean that somebody young won't' fall and get hurt as well."

This past fiscal year, April 2017 to March 2018, 290 inpatient stays were the result of falls at the Dr. F. H. Wigmore Regional Hospital, according to the Saskatchewan Health Authority.

Of these falls, the most common type of injury was a fracture, and the age group of 76-90 were admitted more than any other age category, with 125 reported injuries related to falls.

However, our local hospital did find that, unlike other hospitals, there was so specific time of year where the saw an influx of fall injuries.

"You can fall at any point of the year," Scarlett said. "Winter is more prone just because of the ice and the snow and there are more hazards outside I will agree with that but in the summer you could definitely trip on a broken sidewalk or just a rough terrain if you're out hiking our you're out camping or anything like that."

The seasons not having an effect on the number of falls shows too, as the majority of injuries, about 70%, happened indoors, most commonly at home.

The Saskatchewan Safety Council has a prevention checklist available to avoid injuries caused by falls, especially indoors. That means by reducing hazards such as clear walkways and clear stairs.