Preventing Falls, Protecting Independence: A Conversation with Cheryl Wittke

Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults, but they don't have to be inevitable.

In this episode of the CuroNow Caregiver Circle, we sat down with Cheryl Wittke, MPA, Executive Director of Safe Communities and a CuroNow advisor, to talk through what families and care teams can actually do, today, to reduce fall risk and help loved ones stay safely at home.

Cheryl brings years of community based fall prevention work to this conversation, and what stood out most to us was how practical her guidance is. This isn't about eliminating every risk. It's about noticing the small things, a loose rug, poor lighting on the stairs, a missed medication side effect, before they turn into a crisis.

We talked through:

• Why falls are so common among older adults, and why they're often preventable

• Simple home modifications that make a real difference

• How families and care teams can work together to catch warning signs early

Falls don't happen because families aren't paying attention. They happen because the small signals get missed between visits, and that's exactly the gap we built CuroNow to close.

Watch the full conversation above, and reach out to us anytime if you want to talk through what fall prevention looks like for your own family.