​​Older 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.