Direct Supply Inc., a Milwaukee-based distributor of health care medical products and services to senior care facilities, is carrying Medical Protection Technologies’ next-generation Fall-Safe Hip Protectors.
Hip fractures, which occur in the U.S. about every two minutes, have led to an increased interest in the use of hip protectors: specialized undergarments containing pads that absorb or transfer energy associated with a fall onto the hip.
Fall-Safe Hip Protectors are the only hip protectors on the market featuring pads made from the shock-absorbing material D3O, which is soft and flexible in its natural state, but instantly becomes rigid upon the moment of impact. The “intelligent molecular engineering” of D3O also allows the pads to revert to their original flexible state immediately after the impact.
“Direct Supply has a long history of leadership in the senior living industry, with a particular focus on preventing falls and fractures,” said Dr. D. Stephen Robins, chief executive officer of Medical Protection Technologies based in Washington. “Hip fracture is one of the most serious and costly health issues impacting older adults. One in five hip fracture patients dies within one year of the injury, and many survivors experience a downward spiral in their physical and mental health, leading to loss of independence, reduced quality of life and increased disability.”
Robins said hip fractures also impose an enormous economic burden on patients, families, health care facilities and society. “Fall-Safe Hip Protectors provide a simple and affordable solution to the problem of hip fracture in the elderly—both in elder care facilities and at home,” he said.
Established in Milwaukee in 1985, the employee-owned Direct Supply is one of the nation’s first online distributors of medical products and services.
