āāOlder Adult Falls Prevention Program
The goal of the Older Adult Falls Prevention Program is to decrease falls
among California adults over the age of 65. California is home to more than 4.7
million adults over the age of 65, the largest older adult population in the
nation. In California, falls cause 41 percent of the injury deaths and 70
percent of injury-related hospitalizations among seniors. In 2013, 1,733
Californians ages 65 and older died from a fall and 74,165 were hospitalized.
In addition,196,513 people ages 65 and older were treated for falls in
California's emergency departments.
To achieve the goal of preventing falls, the Older Adult Falls Prevention
Program provides funding, training and technical assistance to local health
departments (LHDs) to build their capacity to address this critical public
health issue and increase the number of interventions and policies implemented
at the community level. Interventions include Tai Chi: Moving for Better
Balance and Stepping On which strive to reduce falls by increasing older adults'
mobility, strength, and balance. The program also aims to increase knowledge of
universal design and solutions to older adult mobility challenges and support
sustainable fall prevention services by promoting partnerships between LHDs and
their local health care organizations.
For more information about the Older Adult Falls Prevention Program, contact
sac@cdph.ca.gov.