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California Department of Aging Expands Falls And Injury Prevention Campaign For Seniors
And Adults With Disabilities

Office of Public Affairs
(916) 323-2261

Sacramento - The California Department of Aging (CDA) today shipped a thousand more videotapes entitled No More Falls! A Guide for Older Adults as part of its ongoing education campaign aimed at helping to reduce the number of falls and related injuries. Every year 950 elderly Californians die from falls and fall-related injuries.

"Nearly 30,000 older Californians suffer hip fractures and other fall-related injuries each year at a cost to the state of nearly $1.75 billion," said Lynda Terry, Director of CDA. "The key to slowing and hopefully stopping these preventable injuries and deaths is to get our prevention message out to seniors, adults with disabilities, their families and caregivers."

Kaiser Permanente produced the video and donated 1,000 copies to CDA to distribute to more than 500 senior centers and other sites throughout California that serve seniors and adults with disabilities. The California Fall and Injury Prevention Public Awareness Campaign was launched last summer.

Other partners in the campaign include the California Department of Health Services, California State Library, the 33 Area Agencies on Aging, and the California Association of Area Agencies on Aging.

Richard Della Penna, M.D., director of the Kaiser Permanente Aging Network, noted that geriatricians, physical therapists and other health care providers developed the video. “As a non-profit health care provider, improving the health of the communities we serve is part of our mission. Those who view this video will know they are getting information they can trust. We appreciate the California Department of Aging partnering with us on the distribution of this video so that preventive measures can reach as wide an audience as possible.”

The average medical bill for each hip fracture is $12,500, and fall-related injuries cost the United States more than $20 billion a year.

There are simple steps that older Californians and their caregivers can take to avoid falls. Actions such as removing clutter in and around the home and using such devices as grab bars, handrails, ramps, canes and other assistive devices can help reduce the risk of falls. Strength training and proper nutrition can also help older and disabled Californians keep their balance and avoid falls.

For more information and to view a Home Safety Checklist that can help prevent falls and related injuries, log on to the CDA Website at www.aging.ca.gov.