NACCHO recognize this year’s Falls Prevention Awareness Week, which will begin on September 18 and continue through September 22. This week, we recognize the importance of fall prevention programming for older adults, which can greatly impact quality of life and independence as we age.
Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury death among adults 65 and older. More than three million older adults in the United States visited the emergency department in 2020 because of an unintentional fall, resulting in one million hospital stays and about $50 billion in medical costs. This rise in older adult falls is expected to continue as the Baby Boomer generation ages, increasing the number of older adults, aged 65+ in the US population. Without intervention, it is projected that the cost of treating falls will reach about $101 billion by 2030.
On this Falls Prevention Awareness Week, NACCHO praises the country’s local public health departments that work diligently each day to prevent older adult falls and mitigate fall risk factors in their communities. NACCHO is proud to share the ways in which local health departments are working to prevent and respond to older adult falls, including:
Knox County Health Department (Knoxville, TN) – Since 2008, the Knox County Health Department (KCHD) in Knoxville, Tennessee has been the leader in fall prevention efforts. This coincided with the first year that the National Council on Aging (NCOA) made falls prevention awareness a national focus.
From that time, KCHD has spearheaded efforts to highlight and promote fall prevention in Knoxville, Knox County and beyond. KCHD has received widespread support through a variety of community partners, offering fall prevention information and education throughout the year. A three-pronged approach is used to maximize efforts. First, a community fall prevention task force and committee meet monthly to plan community events focused on fall prevention with a special focus in September, coinciding with National Fall Prevention Awareness Week. Second, a best practice, evidence-based program called SAIL (Stay Active and Independent for Life), a strength and balance exercise and fall prevention program, is delivered in five senior centers and two community centers. This is a year-round offering for the senior community. Third, KCHD partners with two physical therapy companies that conduct free, year-round balance screening events in the community.
Last year for Falls Prevention Awareness Week KCHD along with community partners hosted three community events. For Falls Prevention Awareness Day on Friday, September 23, 2022, the Knox County Senior Safety Task Force had contributions from ten community organizations and businesses and 17 volunteers with an in-kind amount totaling over $6,500. At the one-day event, balance and vision screening were offered free to attendees along with complimentary consultations from local experts on exercise, home safety, and medication safety.
KCHD has a strong social media presence, and the fall prevention efforts are highlighted along with education and information on preventing falls throughout the year.
Farmington Valley Health District (Canton, CT) – The Farmington Valley Health District (FVHD) serves ten towns in north central Connecticut and provides essential public health services to the approximately 110,000 residents in these communities. One of FVHD’s central focuses is fall prevention and promoting healthy aging among older adults. FVHD has been actively addressing healthy aging and injury prevention through various initiatives such as Fall Prevention and Healthy Aging presentations, conducting fall risk assessments, and implementing the evidence-based program A Matter of Balance. Their 2022 Community Health Assessment indicated that the FVHD (26.1%) had a higher percentage of the population who fell in the past year than in Connecticut (23.1%). In addition, 33.8% of deaths from accidents in FVHD residents were the result of a fall compared to just 22.7% in Connecticut. This data furthered FVHD’s commitment to fall prevention programming in their communities.
Most recently, FVHD convened a coalition of community agencies, including fire, police, EMS, social and senior services, and the visiting nurse association, in one of their towns to address the high prevalence of falls and fall-related morbidity and mortality. The goal of this coalition, named Steps to Safety, is to promote the safety and well-being of the aging population in their homes for as long as possible. Residents who receive help from EMS for a fall receive a leave-behind card with information about the services offered by each member of the coalition. These wrap-around services include home safety assessments for fall hazards, A Matter of Balance classes, access to the town medical equipment loaner closet, medication reviews, and other services. Residents can also self-refer to the Steps to Safety program. Therefore, Steps to Safety aims to both prevent residents from having an initial fall and for other residents, from having a repeat fall. FVHD aims to keep seniors where they want to be – at home.
NACCHO published a new guide called Developing the Capacity to Support Clinical Older Adult Fall Prevention: A Guide to Local Health Departments and a corresponding workbook. These resources were designed to help local health departments engage in clinical fall prevention work by creating or expanding existing programs to meet the needs of older adults living in their communities. The NACCHO website also houses a list of resources in the NACCHO Older Adult Fall Prevention Toolkit to help local health departments develop their capacity to identify older adults at risk for falls and to implement evidence-based fall prevention programs and practices in their communities.
