News & Events
North Carolina Falls Prevention Awareness Week: September 20-26, 2010
Tools and Resources:
Free Online Balance Assessment Video
Full Circle of Care - NC Triangle J Area Aging on Aging Caregiver Resource Site
NC Falls Prevention Coalition Speakers Bureau
SPICE for Life Falls Prevention Grab Bar Drive
Osteoporosis and Falls Fact Sheet
Online Course "Falls Prevention for Home Health Nurses" Now available from the Carolina Geriatric Education Center Online Learning Management Portal
North Carolina's first statewide plan for preventing injuries and violence announced by the NC Division of Public Health, Injury and Violence Prevention Branch, Chronic Disease and Injury Section
Building for Strength: North Carolina's Strategic Plan for Preventing Injuries and Violence 2009-2014
June 2010 - According to the North Carolina Division of Public Health, this plan sets out the goal of reducing the rate of morbidity and mortality from injuries and violence by 15% by 2014. In order to achieve that goal, it’s vital that all stakeholders focus prevention efforts on the leading causes of unintentional injuries: motor vehicle crashes, unintentional poisoning, and falls; as well as the leading causes of intentional injuries: suicide, and homicide.
The other goals of the plan will strengthen the injury prevention infrastructure in the state by addressing data and surveillance, research and evaluation, messaging, policy and environmental change, building the injury prevention community, and workforce development.
Students Complete Yearlong Falls Prevention Capstone Project at UNC Chapel Hill
May 6, 2010 - A team of four UNC-CH students recently completed their second year MPH Capstone project by working with the UNC Institute on Aging, Carolina Geriatric Education Center, and NC Falls Prevention Coalition to address older adult falls prevention in the state.
The students, Jennifer Nomides, Leilani Ogan, Alyse Talbot and Daniel Cothran, conducted a broad range of activities during the academic year, including conducting five focus groups with older adults to better understand their attitudes and behaviors regarding falls prevention; surveying over 240 people to help choose the NC Falls Prevention Coalition slogan, “Stay Strong, Stay Active, Stay Standing”; creating various falls prevention educational materials for older adults, health care professionals, and community service providers; researching and drafting falls prevention policies and legislation; and assisting with four regional falls prevention workshops held across the state in April and May. The NC Division of Public Health funded several of the activities.
“The students have made a significant contribution in our efforts to advance older adult falls prevention in North Carolina,” said Ellen Schneider, Institute on Aging and Capstone team community partner mentor. “We wish them all the best after graduation and know that they will continue to be falls prevention advocates in their chosen careers." Community partner mentors from the Carolina Geriatric Education Center were Rebecca Hunter and Sarah Lowman.
From left: Jennifer Nomides, Alyse Talbot, Ellen Schneider, Leilani Ogan, and Daniel Cothran
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Report: Falls send more than 2 million seniors to emergency departmentCommunity hospital emergency departments treated more than 2 million seniors for injuries from falls in 2006, resulting in $6.8 billion in emergency and inpatient care, according to a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Fractures were the most common injury (41%), more than half of which resulted in admission to the hospital. About 41% of patients with fractures and 33% with internal organ injuries were transferred to a long-term care facility. The findings are from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project’s Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb80.pdf [.pdf file of report]