Key Takeaways
This 2021 NCOA issue brief outlines the rationale for FY22 appropriations investment of $14 million in funding for evidence-based falls prevention programs.
Each year, more than one in four adults age 65 and older fall, resulting in three million admissions to the emergency department for fall injuries, with nearly one million older adults hospitalized due to a fall injury.
NCOA is urging Congress to allocate at least $10 million for older adult falls prevention funding to the Administration for Community Living.
Falls in older adults are common, costly, and often preventable. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that implementing just one evidence-based program could prevent between 25,000 and 120,000 falls and avert upwards of $423 million in medical costs. Implementing more than one program could result in an even greater cost savings.
Evidence-based fall prevention programs offer cost-effective interventions that reduce falls and/or reduce or eliminate risk factors, promote behavior change, and leverage community networks to link clinical treatment and community services.
NCOA is urging Congress to allocate at least $10 million for older adult falls prevention funding to the Administration for Community Living, with a CDC appropriation of at least $4 million. This NCOA issue brief outlines the rationale for the $14 million in funding for falls prevention in FY22.
