One of every three adults aged 65 or older falls each year, and fewer than half of them talk to their health care provider about it.

Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths, hospitalizations, and emergency room visits for New Hampshire’s citizens aged 65 or older.

  • Among older adults, falls are the leading cause of injury and death, and most falls (60%) happen at home.
  • On average, in New Hampshire, more than 90 people die each year as a result of falls; 9,000 are treated at the emergency room; and 3,000 are hospitalized.
  • Hospital costs related to falls exceed $105.6 million each year.
  • After being released, more than 80% of these patients cannot return home to live independently.
  • Fall risk assessments can be an important first step to prevention, and include a review of fall history, medications, underlying conditions, functional status tests, and environmental factors.

Contrary to popular belief, falls are not an inevitable consequence of aging; they are preventable.

Learn how the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services’ Injury Prevention Program and the New Hampshire Falls Risk Reduction Task Force worked to decrease the risk and incidence of falls among adults aged 65 years and older.

Click here for the full story [PDF - 323 KB] 

Date Posted: 08/11/2014
Organization Name: New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services, Injury Prevention Program
29 Hazen Drive
Concord, NH 03301
United States
Organization Mission: 

The Injury Prevention Program's mission is to reduce death and disabilities that result from intentional and unintentional injuries.

Organization Type: 
State Government Agency
Program Name: 

Best Practices, Falls Risk Reduction Project

29 Hazen Drive
Concord, NH 03301
United States
Healthy People 2020 Topic Area(s) addressed: 
Healthy People 2020 Objective(s) addressed: 
Healthy People 2020 overarching goal addressed: 
Attain high-quality, longer lives free of preventable disease, disability, injury, and premature death.
Year: 
2010
Supplemental Material: 

The Preventive Health and Health Services (PHHS) Block Grant supports prevention efforts in 50 states, the District of Columbia, 8 US territories, and 2 American Indian tribes. It is managed by the Division of Population Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments. For more information, go to http://www.cdc.gov/phhsblockgrant.


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Syndicated Content Details:
Source URL: https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/healthy-people-in-action/story/preventing-falls-%E2%80%93-step-by-step-a-cdc-preventive-health-and
Source Agency: Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Healthy People (ODPHP-HP)
Captured Date: 2016-06-09 16:03:05.0

 

 

 

 
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