Lift-Assist Calls Are Rising: What Older Adults and Caregivers Can Learn from Colorado Springs
Rising lift-assist calls highlight the importance of fall recovery, prevention and being prepared before a fall happens
Falls among older adults aren't only a personal health and safety concern. They're increasingly becoming an issue for families, caregivers, senior-living communities and emergency responders.
Recent reporting by The Colorado Springs Gazette highlights just how significant the issue has become in Colorado's Pikes Peak region.
According to the Gazette's August 9, 2026 article, “Calls for ‘lift assist’ increase for some fire departments, as prevention efforts step up,” the Colorado Springs Fire Department recorded 2,673 non-medical lift-assist calls in 2022. By 2025, that number had climbed to 3,176 calls.
That's an increase of approximately 19% in only three years.
And 2026 could continue the trend. The Gazette reported that Colorado Springs firefighters had already responded to 1,752 lift-assist calls during the first part of the year covered by its reporting.
Those numbers raise an important question:
What can older adults, caregivers and families do before the next fall happens?
What Is a Lift-Assist Call?
A lift assist generally occurs when someone needs help getting up or being moved but doesn't initially appear to require emergency medical treatment or transportation to a hospital.
In the Pikes Peak region, fire departments regularly provide this assistance as a community service. The Gazette found that responders encounter people who have fallen in private homes, public locations and senior or residential-care facilities.
Sometimes the person simply cannot get back up.
But firefighters also have to be prepared for something more serious. What initially sounds like a straightforward lift assist can involve an injury or medical problem once responders arrive and evaluate the individual.
That distinction is important.
If a person is experiencing a medical emergency, has struck their head, is experiencing significant pain, or cannot safely move, self-recovery should not take the place of appropriate medical evaluation or emergency assistance.
Why Are Older Adults More Vulnerable to Falls?
There isn't one single reason.
The Gazette points to factors including age, medications, and declining physical condition as contributors to seniors' increased fall risk. Local organizations are responding with fall-prevention education, fitness and balance programs, home-safety improvements and other services designed to help older adults remain independent.
The issue can also become cyclical.
After experiencing a fall, someone may become afraid of falling again. That fear can lead to reduced activity. Reduced activity, in turn, can contribute to declining strength and mobility—potentially making another fall more likely. The Gazette discusses this concern through comments from Silver Key Senior Services.
That's why fall prevention isn't simply about avoiding loose rugs or installing grab bars.
Maintaining strength, mobility, balance, and confidence can also be important parts of a broader fall-safety strategy.
A Lift Assist Can Be More Than an Inconvenience
One particularly important point extends beyond Colorado Springs.
The National Council on Aging notes that lift-assist calls can provide an opportunity to identify an older adult who may benefit from additional assessment, intervention, or community services. It cites research indicating that repeat lift-assist calls are common and that these incidents shouldn't automatically be dismissed simply because the person wasn't transported to a hospital.
Published research supports that caution.
One study examining 804 EMS lift-assist calls found subsequent emergency-department visits, hospital admissions, and deaths within the following 14 days among portions of the study population. The researchers concluded that lift-assist calls may sometimes indicate underlying problems that require further evaluation.
In other words, needing help from the floor may itself be useful information.
If someone repeatedly falls or repeatedly becomes unable to rise, it may be time to discuss the situation with an appropriate healthcare professional rather than treating each occurrence as an isolated event.
Emergency Responders Are Looking at Prevention, Too
The Colorado Springs response isn't simply about reducing calls.
According to the Gazette, the Colorado Springs Fire Department uses community risk-reduction efforts when facilities or services generate high numbers of non-medical lift assists. That work can include reviewing call patterns, staff practices, and emergency procedures, along with education on fall prevention, safe movement and lifting, emergency decision-making, and appropriate use of 911.
Firefighters may also notice hazards during home visits.
That matters because first responders occupy a unique position: they're seeing the environment in which the fall actually occurred.
Colorado Springs' broader Aging in Place efforts have similarly recognized that a lift-assist call can identify an older resident who needs additional home care, nursing assistance, or community support.
The objective isn't to discourage someone from requesting emergency assistance when it's needed.
It's to prevent avoidable falls and give people more appropriate options before an emergency occurs.
Fall Preparedness Should Include a Recovery Plan
Preventing a fall should always be the first objective. But no prevention strategy can guarantee that someone will never fall. That's why older adults and caregivers should consider a second question:
If a non-injurious fall occurs, what is our plan for getting back up?
For some people, the answer may be using a sturdy piece of furniture and a floor-recovery technique they have previously practiced.
Others may require assistance from a family member, caregiver, or emergency responder.
And some people with sufficient physical ability may benefit from having a purpose-designed lift assist or fall-recovery aid available.
The important point is to make that decision before someone is unexpectedly lying on the floor.
Where the ResQUp Fits into Fall Preparedness
This is the problem the ResQUp® Fall Recovery and Mobility Aid was designed to address.
The ResQUp provides progressively elevated levels that allow an uninjured user to move upward from the floor rather than attempting one large movement directly from the floor to a chair or standing position.
It requires no electricity, batteries, or assembly. The device weighs approximately 14 pounds, supports up to 350 pounds, and folds into itself for transportation and storage.
Depending on the individual's abilities, you can approach the ResQUp using different recovery methods. For example, in the backward method, the user backs toward the device and progressively moves upward through its levels using the padded handholds.
The ResQUp is not an automatic or powered patient lift, and it isn't appropriate for every person or every fall. The individual needs sufficient functional ability to participate in the recovery process.
When an injury or medical emergency is suspected, the appropriate response is to seek medical or emergency assistance—not to attempt self-recovery simply because equipment is available.
Protecting Caregivers Matters, Too
Another side of fall recovery can easily be overlooked: the person trying to help.
When a family member finds someone on the floor, the natural instinct may be to reach down and lift them.
But lifting another adult can expose the helper to significant physical strain, particularly when the person has limited mobility or when the environment is confined or awkward.
The Gazette describes how local fire departments may send multiple firefighters to lift-assist calls because moving someone safely can require enough personnel and the right equipment.
A good fall-recovery plan therefore considers both people: the individual who has fallen and anyone attempting to assist them.
Five Questions to Ask Before the Next Fall
Families and caregivers don't need to wait for an emergency to evaluate preparedness. Consider these questions:
Can the person summon help from the floor? A phone or medical-alert system isn't useful if they can't reach it.
Have you discussed recurring falls with a healthcare professional? Repeated falls or lift assists may warrant further evaluation to determine the right tools and techniques for the person.
Have obvious home hazards been addressed? Review lighting, loose rugs, clutter, stairs, handrails, and bathroom safety.
Does the person know an appropriate floor-recovery technique? A physical or occupational therapist may be able to help determine what is safe for the individual's abilities.
Is appropriate fall-recovery equipment available and accessible? Equipment stored somewhere unreachable after a fall won't solve the problem.
Preparedness is ultimately about creating options.
Independence Means Preparing for the Unexpected
The rising number of lift-assist calls in Colorado Springs tells a larger story.
As communities age, fall prevention and fall recovery are becoming increasingly important—not only for older adults but also for families, caregivers, senior-living organizations and emergency services who bear the cost of falls.
Colorado Springs firefighters will continue responding when residents need them. As the Gazette's reporting makes clear, that community service can be invaluable. But prevention programs, safer homes, appropriate equipment, and better preparation may reduce situations in which an otherwise uninjured person has no option but to call emergency responders simply because they cannot get off the floor.
For older adults who want to remain independent, planning for a fall isn't admitting defeat.
It's preparing for the unexpected—and making sure there's a safer way forward if the unexpected happens.
Learn More About Fall Recovery
Learn more about the ResQUp Fall Recovery and Mobility Aid, including how it works and whether it may be appropriate as part of your fall-recovery plan:
Credit and References
Primary reporting: Debbie Kelley, The Colorado Springs Gazette, “Calls for ‘lift assist’ increase for some fire departments, as prevention efforts step up,” published August 9, 2026.
Additional background was reviewed from the National Council on Aging's guidance on fire/EMS partnerships and fall prevention, published research on outcomes following lift-assist calls, and ResQUp's own product and recovery-method information.
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