Sept. 23-27: Older Adults Learn to Take Action to Prevent Falls at Community Events and Online
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ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 12, 2024 ~ The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is gearing up for the 17th annual Falls Prevention Awareness Week, which will take place from September 23-27. As the national voice for every person's right to age well, NCOA is leading the charge to educate older adults on how to reduce their risk of falling.

According to Kathleen Cameron, Senior Director at NCOA's Center for Healthy Aging, falls are not an inevitable part of growing older. "Strength and balance exercises, home modifications, and annual eye and hearing exams are just some of the simple steps older adults can take to prevent falls," she said. "We want people to know they can take action to reduce their risk."

Throughout the week, community organizations nationwide will hold events aimed at promoting falls prevention. These events will include evidence-based programs, workshops, screenings, and more. In cities such as Albuquerque, Seattle, Dallas, and Fort Worth, partners will host targeted events for Native American, Japanese, Chinese, Black, and Hispanic older adults. Attendees can expect to learn about home safety tips, participate in strength and balance tests and Tai Chi demonstrations, receive medication reviews and shoe fit screenings.

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To further assist individuals in assessing their risk of falling, NCOA has developed a free online tool called the Falls Free CheckUp® in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). By answering 13 yes/no questions on this tool, visitors can receive a personalized falls risk score along with tailored recommendations and resources. The checkup is available in both English and Spanish. Additionally, materials specifically designed for each targeted population have been translated into Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese and will be available on ncoa.org.

The CDC reports that more than one in four Americans aged 65 or older fall each year. Falls are also the leading cause of injury-related death in this age group and result in over three million injuries, including hip fractures, broken bones, and brain injuries. The medical costs associated with these falls amount to about $50 billion annually for non-fatal injuries and $754 million for fatal falls.

Since 2007, NCOA has been hosting Falls Prevention Awareness Week to empower individuals with actionable steps to reduce their risk. This year, NCOA also held the Falls Prevention Summit on September 9-10 to further the national conversation on how to prevent falls among older adults. Experts in aging and healthcare joined policymakers to address gaps and identify new priorities for the National Falls Prevention Action Plan, last updated in 2015.

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NCOA leads the National Falls Prevention Resource Center with funding from the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL). This center supports the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based falls prevention programs across the country. Last year, ACL awarded NCOA a $4.79 million grant to establish the first ACL Innovation Lab, which will expand these efforts even further. Additionally, NCOA recently received a $2.5 million grant from ACL to provide capacity building grants for states to strengthen existing falls prevention coalitions or start new ones in states where they do not currently exist.

For more information on Falls Prevention Awareness Week and how you can get involved, please visit www.ncoa.org/Falls.

The National Falls Prevention Awareness Week is made possible by a financial assistance award totaling $3 million from the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This grant is funded entirely by ACL/HHS and does not receive any support from non-governmental sources. The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of ACL/HHS or the U.S. Government.

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