TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo Fire & Rescue Department crews came to the aid of an 80-year-old woman on Tuesday, who fell inside her south Toledo apartment and was stuck on the ground for days.
Family had not heard from Juanita Ashford for nearly a week and requested a safety check. Upon arrival to the 3200 block of Glanzman Road, a Toledo police officer could hear Ashford saying she fell and couldn't get to the door.
TFRD crews forced their way inside the apartment. Ashford to was transported to the University of Toledo Medical Center.
Marvin Parker is a community paramedic with TFRD. He gets referrals from first responders and hospitals and then connects people to community resources to reduce 911 calls and ER visits. His main clientele are the elderly and he responds to calls for falls all the time.
"The elderly population, they do live alone so what happens if you do fall? We don't want you laying there for long periods of time so they have Life Alert, which is just one of many products of brands out there," said Parker.
The community paramedics do a home safety assessment whenever they go out to a home. They assess for fall risk or fire risk, and also look for smoke alarms.
Patients can contact their primary care provider who will be able to tell them about available resources, such as grab bars for certain rooms or wheelchairs.
Parker suggests people contact the Area Office on Aging so they can do an intake process. The number to reach them is 800-472-7277.