Falls Prevention Awareness Day to Be Observed September 23
“Take a Stand to Prevent Falls” is the slogan for the eighth annual Falls Prevention Awareness Day, which will be observed on September 23.
Held every year since 2008, Falls Prevention Awareness Day calls attention to the potentially deadly consequences of fall-related injuries among elders, as well as ways that falls can be avoided.
Fall-related deaths among elders doubled between 2002 and 2012, the New York Times reported in November 2014. Nearly 24,000 elders died as a result of a fall-related injury in 2012.
The 2015 Falls Prevention Awareness Day will be recognized in 48 states and Washington, D.C., according to the website of the National Council on Aging (NCOA), which sponsors the event.
The NCOA website contains numerous resources to help spread awareness of the importance of falls prevention, including a handout showing ways to prevent falls and a list of common myths about elders and falling.
A free falls-prevention curriculum for home care workers that was developed by PHI and the NCOA is available online.
— by Matthew Ozga
