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Every year in the United States, one in four adults over 65 experiences a fall. According to the CDC, falls are the leading cause of injury death for people in that age group. In fact, in 2021, emergency departments treated nearly 3 million older adults for falls. In addition, the total health care cost for non-fatal older adult falls runs into to tens of billions of dollars annually (about $80 billion in 2020).

NC 2024 Falls Prevention WeekIn North Carolina, over 17 percent of residents are 65 years of age or older. And in this age group, unintentional falls are the leading cause of injuries (both fatal and nonfatal). In 2023, falls caused 1,727 deaths, 21,695 hospitalizations, and 138,296 emergency department visits among North Carolina’s older adults. On top of that, the average hospitalization cost associated with an unintentional fall in NC was almost $71,000 per person in 2023. And beyond the actual falling incident, older adults may experience loss of mobility, loss of functional independence, and depression.

To highlight the importance of falls awareness, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has declared September 23 – 27, 2024, as Falls Prevention Week in North Carolina. In addition to the statistics above, the proclamation also points out that evidence-based programs help reduce falls with strategies like balance- and strength-focused exercise programs, improved medication management, vision improvement, home hazard reduction, and education.

In order to better inform people about the seriousness of falls, the NC Falls Prevention Coalition promotes falls awareness year-round. The group encourages multidisciplinary strategies to prevent falls. And the coalition also encourages everyone in North Carolina to help protect those with increased falling risk. Also, the Center for Aging and Health’s Carolina Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program (CGWEP) has falls prevention as one of it’s main goals.

At the national level, the NCOA (National Council on Aging) facilitates the annual Falls Prevention Week, now in it’s 17th year. Each year, the National Council on Aging publishes a Falls Prevention Kit. The kit offers digital resources like ‘Falls Free CheckUp’ logos and banners, a Social Media toolkit, videos, handouts, and more. Last year’s event was observed by 40 states and reached over 3 million people through education, falls risk screening, advocacy, digital, and traditional media.