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National Conference Opens to
Write Plan for Reducing Falls by Elderly
Dec. 8, 2004 The first
national conference dedicated to preventing falls by older Americans
convenes today in Washington, D.C. to examine the causes and prevention
of falls among senior citizens and to produce a joint action plan by
March 2005 to be named the National Action Plan to Reduce Falls in
the Elderly.
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"Falls Free: Promoting a
National Falls Prevention Action Plan" has brought together a diverse
group of health and safety organizations to tackle the serious public
health issue of falls among older Americans. The Home Safety Council,
the National Council on the Aging (NCOA) and the Archstone Foundation
sponsor the conference.
Participants today and
tomorrow will grapple with many issues, including risk factor management
(physical mobility, medical management, medications management, home
safety and environmental safety in the community), loss of independence,
and attendant medical costs related to older adult falls as they develop
feasible strategies to reduce falls in older adults.
"The issue of fall-related
injury and death is a significant national health concern that deserves
serious attention and immediate action especially among the older adult
community," said James Firman, president and CEO of NCOA. "Together with
the Home Safety Council and the Archstone Foundation, we are dedicated
to developing specific prevention strategies and a strong action plan to
reduce falls among older adults in America."
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Research from the National Center for Health Statistics at the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention shows that by 2020, the estimated
cost for fall injuries for people age 65 and older is expected to reach
$32.4 billion per year. In 2002, falls caused about 12,800 deaths,
accounting for 38 percent of all unintentional injury deaths, and 1.6
million seniors were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments (EDs).
Every hour, one older adult died and 183 were treated in EDs for
fall-related injuries.
When you look specifically
within the home, according to the Home Safety Council's State of Home
Safety in America report (2004), falls are the leading cause of
unintentional home injury and related death, resulting in an average of
more than 4,700 deaths and 1.1 million medical visits each year for
adults ages 65 and older.
"The high risk of suffering
a serious falls injury often surprises people," said Home Safety Council
President Meri-K Appy. "As a result, common hazards that are easy to fix
are too often overlooked in American households. Together with health
and safety organizations throughout the country, this conference will
not only raise national awareness around falls among older adults, but
provide a consistent direction for families to increase the safety of
their homes."
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