Expanding Falls Prevention Through Surveillance, Community-Clinical Linkages, and Strategic Planning and Evaluation
October 03, 2023 | Claire Pendergast, Talyah Sands, Priya Shah, Tyrone Bethume
Unintentional falls are the leading cause of injury and injury death among older adults in the United States. Each year, about 14 million older adults report falls and 5 million report fall injuries. Older adult falls contribute to more than 900,000 hospitalizations every year. A fall-related hospitalization increases the likelihood of a long-term nursing home admission, creating either a temporary or permanent loss of independence. In 2021, there were 38,742 fall-related deaths among older adults in the United States, averaging more than 100 deaths per day. Falls among older adult populations in the United States are a public health burden, leading to over $50 billion in medical costs each year.
This guide is intended to be a comprehensive resource for state health departments in understanding how to align current falls prevention efforts to support community-clinical linkages and offer strategies to assist in implementing new efforts to support these linkages. While the content in this guide is primarily informed by states and the context might differ in U.S. territories and freely associated states, the concepts may still be applicable across island jurisdictions.