178890 Symposium Title: Fall Prevalence Data and Three Intervention Models to Reduce Falls Among Older Adults

Tuesday, October 28, 2008: 2:30 PM

Mary Ellen Kullman, MPH , The Archstone Foundation, Long Beach, CA
Roger Trent, PhD , Chief, Injury Surveillance and Epidemiology Section, California Department of Public Health, Sacramento, CA
Steven P. Wallace, PhD , School of Public Health, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
In Hee Choi, MIPA, PhD cand , Fall Prevention Center of Excellence, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Jon Pynoos, PhD , Fall Prevention Center of Excellence, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Laurence Rubenstein, MD, MPH , Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Sepulveda, CA
Emily Basner, MSG candidate , Fall Prevention Center of Excellence, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Fall injuries threaten the health and quality of life of California's 3.7 million older adults aged 65 and over. Projections indicate this number will double to more than 8.3 million by 2030. Nationwide, about one-quarter of older adults fall each year. Of those who fall, 20% to 30% suffer moderate to severe injuries. Persons age 75 and older who fall are four to five times more likely to be admitted to a long-term care facility. Nationally, direct medical costs totaled $19.3 billion for non-fatal fall injuries and $179 million for fatal fall injuries in 2002. Based on the national estimates cited above, California's non-fatal fall injuries cost about $2.4 billion each year in direct medical costs. This symposium will discuss the incidence of falls in California based on several surveillance data sources as well as program and policy efforts to address this growing public health problem. Three intervention models will be discussed: local coalition development, expansion of evidence-based activities in agencies already providing fall prevention services, and the development and testing of multifactorial fall prevention model programs in senior centers. The symposium will close with a discussion of how lessons learned in California can be translated to other states and localities interested in enhancing fall prevention efforts.

Learning Objectives:
Comprehend the breadth and depth of California’s fall prevention efforts and translating the lessons learned into national action.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Dr. Pynoos is a co-director at The Fall Prevention Center of Excellence, Director of the National Resource Center on Supportive Housing and Home Modification, and professor at the University of Southern California. He has spent his career researching, writing, and advising the government and private sector concerning how to improve housing and long term care policies and programs for the elderly. He has conducted a large number of applied research projects based on surveys and case studies of housing, aging in place and long-term care. He has written and edited six books on housing and the elderly including Linking Housing and Services for Older Adults: Obstacles, Options, and Opportunities; Housing the Aged: Design Directives and Policy Considerations; and Housing Frail Elders: International Policies, Perspectives and Prospects.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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