Senate Says First Day of Fall Should Highlight
Prevention of Falls for U.S. Senior Citizens
Senate Resolution targets preventing the leading
cause of injuries for those 65 and older
Sept. 23, 2009 Yesterday may have been the first
day of the fall season but members of the U.S. Senate hope it is the
last day of falls for senior citizens. The Senate passed a resolution
yesterday designating September 22, 2009 as National Falls Prevention
Awareness Day, highlighting the need for increased efforts to prevent
the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries to senior citizens,
those 65 and older.
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Falls have a substantial impact on the lives of
older Americans, their families and communities, and society, according
to the resolution sponsors.
Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Special
Committee on Aging, sponsored the resolution (S. Res 276) and he was
joined by six other senators: Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), chairman of the
Health, Education, Labor and Pensions e (HELP) Subcommittee on
Retirement and Aging; Mike Enzi (R-WY), ranking member of the HELP
Committee; Patty Murray (D-WA); Bob Casey (D-PA), and Bernie Sanders
(I-VT).
Each year, one in three older adults will
experience a fall, the consequences of which can be extensive and
wide-ranging. The most recent data show that in 2007, 1.9 million older
adults were treated in emergency departments for injuries from falls,
and 492,000 were hospitalized.
The Center for Disease Control estimates that over
$19.2 billion is spent every year on treating the elderly for the
adverse effects of falls, including $12 billion for hospitalization, $4
billion for emergency department visits, and $3 billion for outpatient
care.
Most of these expenses are paid for by the federal
government through Medicare reimbursements. According to the National
Council on Aging, it is projected that direct treatment costs will more
than double to $43.8 billion annually by 2020. These estimates do not
include other ancillary costs, such as caregiver time, reduced
functional capacity, and decreased quality of life.
A number of evidence-based interventions have been
designed and tested to reduce the risk of falling. Approaches include
comprehensive clinical assessments, exercise programs to improve balance
and strength, management of medications, correction of vision, and
reduction of home hazards.
In the 110th Congress, Senators Mikulski and Enzi
were successful in passing the Safety of Seniors Act of 2007, which
authorized new programs to help prevent falls among older adults through
public education, research and demonstration projects. Sen. Kohl was a
cosponsor of that legislation.
The resolution voices support for organizations
working to both promote awareness about falls prevention and implement
programs to help reduce falls among older Americans, including the
National Falls Free Coalition and the Falls Free Coalition Advocacy Work
Group, which includes the Home Safety Council, the National Council on
Aging, the National Safety Council, the State and Territorial Injury
Prevention Directors Association, the American Occupational Therapy
Association, the American Physical Therapy Association, and among other
organizations.
"Falls don't discriminate. This is a serious public
health problem that affects everyone," said Sen. Mikulski. "That's why
I fought so hard to pass legislation to make elder falls prevention a
priority. I will continue to champion efforts to promote public
education campaigns and research that will help prevent elder falls and
save lives."
"Directing resources to prevention programs,
including the prevention of falls, is an investment that pays off in the
long-run by saving billions of dollars that would otherwise be spent on
treatment," said Sen. Kohl.
"I support prevention programs because they help to
alleviate the rise in health care expenditures, and I am proud to have
steered stimulus funding toward the Administration on Aging's
evidence-based disease prevention and wellness programs, including their
fall prevention programs."
"For many of our nation's seniors, a fall means
serious injury and often leads to a rapid decline in health. Bringing
awareness to this issue will help prevent falls and save lives through
education and early intervention. By reducing the occurrences and costs
of falls, we can help secure the health and safety of America's
seniors," said Sen. Enzi.
The resolution included the following actions:
(1) Designates September 22, 2009, as `National
Falls Prevention Awareness Day';
(2) Commends the Falls Free Coalition Advocacy Work
Group and the 22 State falls coalitions for their efforts to work
together to increase education and awareness about the prevention of
falls among older adults;
(3) Encourages businesses, individuals, Federal,
State, and local governments, the public health community, and health
care providers to work together to promote the awareness of falls in an
effort to reduce the incidence of falls among older people in the United
States;
(4) Urges the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention to continue developing and evaluating interventions to
prevent falls among older adults that can be used in effective
community-based fall prevention programs;
(5) Encourages State health departments to use
their significant leadership to reduce injuries and injury-related
health care costs by collaborating with colleagues and a variety of
organizations and individuals to reduce falls among older adults; and
(6) Recognizes proven, cost effective fall
prevention programs and policies and encourages experts in the field of
fall prevention to share their best practices so that their success can
be replicated by others.
A similar provision was passed in the 110th
Congress.
Sept. 23, 2009 Yesterday may have been the first
day of the fall season but members of the U.S. Senate hope it is the
last day of falls for senior citizens. The Senate passed a resolution
yesterday designating September 22, 2009 as National Falls Prevention
Awareness Day, highlighting the need for increased efforts to prevent
the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries to senior citizens,
those 65 and older.
The resolution included the following actions: