Plum Enterprises is honored to have the privilege of protecting our veterans for fall safety and post brain surgery with Plum’s® ProtectaCap+Plus® Neurosurgery Helmets.

Plum^® Facts & Stats for Your Health & Wellness

Age-related deterioration in bone and muscle manifested as low bone mineral density [BMD] and sarcopenia often result in fractures.  Sarcopenia is a progressive and generalized skeletal muscle disorder involving the accelerated loss of muscle mass and function that is associated with increased adverse outcomes including falls, functional decline, frailty, and mortality. Falls, fall injuries and functional impairments are linked with low bone mineral density.  Traumatic brain injuries [TBI] and hip fractures from falls are of serious concern, as such falls often result in morbidity and mortality.   Protection of the head and the hip area [the greater trochanter] can help prevent injuries from falls.
– Journal of American Geriatrics Association

Falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury-related emergency department visits in children up to age 4.
– Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Hip fractures are the most frequent type of fall-related fracture, with traumatic brain injuries second, and extremity injuries third.

In the United States older adults are more likely to be hospitalized for traumatic injury than younger individuals with rates increasing at least 5% annually.  People aged 65 and older account for more than 25% of trauma admissions.  Most trauma in older adults is related to falls.  Severe trauma in older adults can have particularly devastating consequences including long hospitalization and rehabilitation, permanent functional impairment and death. Hip fracture after a fall is associated with high morbidity and costs  and has been a growing public health concern for decades.
– Journal of American Geriatrics Association

Playgrounds are wonderful and important places for children to have fun, explore, and grow. Children learn through play and need
opportunities to take risks, test their limits, and learn new
skills through free play. Playgrounds can also put children at risk for concussion.
– The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Approximately 30% of people ages 60 and older will fall in any 12-month period.
– Journal of American Geriatrics Association

Falls have become a health crisis. The frequency, morbidity, and mortality rates of falls increase every day. The cost of falls is increasing at an even greater pace.
– The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

About 1.7 million Americans sustain a traumatic brain injury each year.  Falls are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury, which can result in decline of basic cognitive skills, vision problems, balance disorders and depression.
– The National Institutes of Health

One in three adults 65 and older fall at least once a year, with 1 out of 3 not able to live independently as a result of the fall.
–  The National Safety Council

There is no such thing as a mild head injury. It’s a misnomer.
– Vani Rao, MD, Director, Brain Injury Program, and Neuropsychiatrist

Hip fractures contribute to a large proportion of deaths in the elderly population.
– Journal of American Geriatrics Association

Fall-related injuries are the leading cause of injury hospitalizations in elderly individuals. Hip fractures cause the greatest number of deaths and lead to the most severe health problems and poorer quality of life. Patients with hospital re-admissions after hip fracture are nearly twice as likely to die within one year.
– Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

A blow to the head that at first seems minor and does not result in immediate pain or other symptoms can in fact turn out to be a life-threatening brain injury.
– Duke University Medical Center’s Neurosciences Critical Care Unit

Osteoporosis is one of the major public health problems facing elderly, particularly older women, with hip fracture the most severe consequence.
–  Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

Regardless of age, sex, socioeconomic status and residence, having suffered a single concussion in one’s lifetime increased the likelihood of later being diagnosed with:

• Parkinson’s disease by 57%
• Dementia by 72%
• ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) by 39%
• Mood and Anxiety Disorders (MADs) by 72%
• Sustaining multiple concussions further increased the risk for developing both PD and dementia.

–  Parkinson’s Foundation

Studies have demonstrated that  one in three non-institutionalized seniors will sustain at least one fall per year and that 50% of these individuals will suffer significant  injury.  Injuries pose a significant burden in terms of loss of life, reduced quality of life, and economic cost.  Other suffering includes disability , loss of confidence in physical and functional abilities, fear of falling, increased social isolation, and increased dependency on caregivers, loss of mobility, and long-term institutionalization.
–  Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

Among children up to age 15, traumatic brain injury causes about 2,685 deaths, 37,000 hospitalizations, and 435,000 emergency room visits each year, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The experts think that many more cases are never reported; kids, parents, and coaches often don’t recognize the symptoms of brain injury, which is also called concussion; and many think kids should “play hurt.”
– The Centers for Disease Control

Falls are common occurrences in elderly people worldwide and have several adverse consequences, such as physical injuries, psychological distress, decreased functioning and diminished quality of life.
– Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

Certain types of head injuries may increase your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia later in life. The factors that seem to affect your risk include your age at the time of the injury and the severity of the injury. More-severe head injuries may increase your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.  And sustaining a head injury when you’re older, around age 55, may also increase your risk. Repeated mild injuries also may increase your risk of future problems with thinking and reasoning.
– The Mayo Clinic

In 2010 258,000 people aged 65 and older were admitted to the hospital for hip fractures. Worldwide it is estimated that the annual incidence of hip fractures will reach 2.6 million in 2025.  Approximately half of persons experiencing hip fracture will experience a new permanent disability.  One-quarter of women and one-third of men experiencing hip fracture will die in the following year.
– Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

Plum® Love from Plum’s® Customers

“I can say with confidence that the ProtectaCap+Plus® Helmet saved Diana’s life.”
– P. Leichliter

“We are delighted with the quality and the appearance of the ProtectaHip® Garments.”
– J. Cohen

“We are truly grateful for ProtectaCap. There is no amount of money that could pay for the protection that ‘Cap gives Tina’s head. And she looks adorable in it.”
– S . Moister

“ProtectaCap+Plus® is great.  My 5 year old has drop seizures and he likes wearing it.  He’s been saved by the ’Cap.”  
–  M. McGuire

“ProtectaCap+Plus® has been working miracles for our daughter.  It’s tremendous.  It’s the greatest thing.  Best money we’ve spent in 5 years.”  
–  R. Hesson

“My daughter’s been wearing ProtectaCap for the past 7 years, since she was 14. It’s worked great and protects her ears and sides of her face.  We’ve machine-washed it repeatedly and it’s lasted wonderfully.” 
–  E. Wolff

“ProtectaHip® Active Lounge Pants™ is  the brand of hip protectors we use here. I love the fact that the pads are not removed for washing, they are washable, they are sized by hip/waist measurements and they is plenty of room for an adult brief. They come in lounge pants 3 different lengths. They are not so tight that the resident can pull them up and down easily for toileting so becoming incontinent isn’t an issue. I just love them. I wore them all day at work with a T-shirt, I slept in them, our skin integrity nurse slept in them. They are now the only hip protectors we use station wide.   Let me add these are the only hip protectors I have found that residents will wear more than once.”
–   VA Hospital

“ProtectaCap+Plus® has been working miracles for our daughter.  It’s tremendous.  It’s the greatest thing.  Best money we’ve spent in 5 years.”
– R. Hesson

“My  daughter  wouldn’t  wear  anything  on  her head.   But Mallorie loves her ProtectaCap®!  She even sleeps in it.  It’s a wonderful ‘Cap.  It’s the only thing that has kept my daughter from frequent emergency room visits and fatal blows from seizures.  We thought it sounded too good to be true. But what a big difference it’s made.   We know she’s not going to get hurt.”  
– J. Miller