STEADI - Falls Prevention

 

Did you know?

•    Approximately 15 percent of Ohio citizens are age 65 or older, yet this group accounts for more than 84 percent of fatal falls.
•    An older adult falls every 2 minutes resulting  in 3 fatalities per day
•    Ohio spends over $1.8 million a day in falls related costs,  totaling  $677 million annually
•    Falls are not a normal part of aging and most falls are preventable
•    There is a simple screening that can assess patients at low, medium and high risk for falls

Ohio will observe National Falls Prevention Awareness Day (NFPAD) on September 23, 2015 with this year’s theme, “Stand up to Prevent Falls.” Celebrated each year on the first day of autumn, Falls Prevention Awareness Day is designed to educate Ohioans that the risks of falling may increase as we grow older, but that falling is not a normal part of the aging process and can be prevented. 

As a health care provider, you can play a critical role in the prevention of falls and can help your patients stay healthy, active and independent longer. We can address risk factors to reduce your patients’ chances of falling and suffering serious injuries like hip fractures and traumatic brain injury that often lead to loss of independence and sometimes their life.

To help raise awareness of this serious issue, the Ohio Association of Community Health Centers is proud to partner with the Ohio Departments of Health and Aging to promote the CDC’s STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries) Tool Kit. 

STEADI is a powerful resource based on a simple algorithm adapted from the American and British Geriatric Societies’ Clinical Practice Guideline.  It includes basic information about falls, case studies, conversation starters, and standardized gait and balance assessment tests.  In addition to the toolkit, ODH has a new video and printed collateral about fall prevention specifically designed for patients and their friends and family. 

You can find additional resources here:

Ohio Department of Health
Ohio Department of Aging STEADY U Ohio
STEADI materials

By working together, we can reduce falls and ensure that older Ohioans are leading happy, healthy and productive lives.