BRYAN, Texas — According to new data researched by the Washington Post, lift assist emergency responses have increased 30% in recent years at assisted and senior care centers across the country - and Texas is no different.
In the last two years, the Bryan Fire Department reports that the 911 system was used 3,699 times for life assists and non-emergency transports at senior care home facilities.
This spike is taking a toll on public resources and first responders are starting to speak out.
"We get calls sometimes to help residents get from the bed to the restroom and the restroom back to the bed and those kinds of things," said Bryan Fire Department Public Information Officer Chris Lamb. "The bigger picture is that yes, sometimes that ambulance is out doing those services and there could be a 911 call for someone choking or a car wreck and then that response to that call is delayed."
The President of the American Senior Housing Association, David Schless, released a statement saying, "The need to call 911 when a senior living resident falls is driven by resident and staff member safety and state licensure requirements."
But first responders say a collaborative solution is now needed.
"We do ask that these facilities come up with their own policies internally to help alleviate this pressure on the 911 system, whether that be intense training with the employees with how to deal with the fallen patients, investing in equipment," Lamb said. "We want the residents to be taken care of, but we also don't want to burden the 911 system."
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