Older Adult Fall Prevention
This website is a collaboration
with the UW Health Falls Clinic to provide information about injuries associated with unintentional falls and
best practices in fall prevention.
The Burden of Falls in Wisconsin 2010 (PDF,
5.4 MB)
Falls are a significant cause of injury in all ages of the
U.S. population, but a particular burden in those ages 65 years and
older. One third of people over the age of 65 years fall every
year. Ten percent of these falls are serious enough to require
hospitalization. Falls may also lead to premature death.
Wisconsin has one of the highest rates of death from unintentional falls
in the nation. In fact, the death rate due to unintentional falls in
Wisconsin is twice the national average. The good news is falls are
preventable.
By proclamation of the Governor, September is "Fall Prevention Awareness
Month" and September 22 (the first day of fall) is "Fall Prevention
Awareness Day."
Access Fall Prevention Awareness planning tools and resources at the
National Council on Aging Website. (exit DHS)
View Wisconsin's
Proclamation (PDF, 306 KB)
By declaring September "Fall Prevention Month"
and September 22 "Fall Prevention Awareness Day", the message
is clear: falls are not a normal part of aging and falls can be
prevented. To highlight just how this can and will be done, a
detailed action plan has been produced to move the state from being one of
the leaders in fall related deaths in the country to being a state where
older adults live healthy, independent lives, free from falls.
Fall Prevention Among Older Adults: An Action Plan for Wisconsin (PDF,
1 MB)
A key component, identified in the plan and supported by research and
experience of experts in the field, highlights across-discipline
collaboration at both the state and local levels. Momentum is strong
in Wisconsin for success. Multiple communities have or are
developing fall prevention or healthy aging coalitions. Further, a
cadre of diverse partners helped develop this plan and it will take these
and new partners to implement it. The implementation of the plan
will be monitored by the state coalition: the Fall Prevention
Initiative.
Four main goals form the basis of the plan:
- Shape systems and policies to support fall prevention
- Increase public awareness about fall prevention
- Improve fall prevention where people live
- Improve fall prevention in healthcare settings
With adequate information and knowledge falls can be prevented.
Research shows that effective fall prevention programs have multiple
components. Visit the links to obtain information on fall prevention
for each of the following groups:
Wisconsin Fall Prevention Program and Activities
Fall Prevention Initiative
The mission of the Wisconsin Falls Prevention Initiative is to reduce
falls and fall-related complications and deaths among Wisconsin's
older adults through the integration of community based and medical
prevention approaches. The Falls Prevention Initiative is
comprised of health care practitioners, educators, researchers,
organizations serving older adults, social service professionals, and
staff members from the Divisions of Long Term Care and Public
Health. The group is open to all that believe in the mission and
want to help refine and achieve the goals:
- Increase education of medical community, frontline staff, care
managers, caregivers, and consumers;
- Promote continued and successful collaborations between social and
medical disciplines that deliver health services and support; and
- Identify and promote evidence-based activities and programming
statewide.
Fall Prevention Survey
In the spring of 2009 the Department of Health Services and the Injury
Research Center at the Medical College of Wisconsin conducted a survey
focused on fall prevention activities. At least one person from 70 of
Wisconsin's 72 counties responded to the survey -- a total of 153
participants. The survey will be repeated annually. Both a summary and
the full report can be found below.
Stepping On
Stepping
On is a seven week falls prevention class incorporating
behavior change theory. It was found in research by Dr. Lindy Clemson
of Australia to be effective in reducing falls among older adults by
about 30 percent. Kenosha County brought the program to several
Wisconsin counties under a Wisconsin Partnership Program grant. The
Department of Health Services has expanded Stepping On to additional
counties under grants from the Administration on Aging and the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
Sure-Step
Sure Step is a multi-factorial, one-on-one intervention
conducted by a physical therapist, occupational therapist, or
registered nurse. It is the result of research conducted by Jane
Mahoney, MD, and Terry Shea, PT, in a randomized trial in Kenosha
County and found to be effective in reducing falls in a subset of high
risk older adults. Results to date show a 68% reduction in falls in
the 6 months after the start of the intervention compared to the 6
months prior.
2007 Reports
Fall Prevention Web Links
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Last Updated:
April 10, 2013 |
