Among older Americans, falls are the leading cause of injuries and deaths from injuries — in 2014, older adults had 29 million falls, which caused 7 million injuries and cost Medicare roughly $31 million, according to the CDC's Morbidity and Morality Weekly Report.
According to CDC Director Tom Frieden, MD, healthcare providers can help reverse the increasing number of falls among American seniors. "Healthcare providers can make fall prevention a routine part of care in their practice," he said.
To help healthcare providers in the effort, the CDC created the Stopping Early Accidents, Deaths and Injuries initiative. STEADI includes:
- Information on screening for falls
- Online training for providers
- Videos showing how to conduct functional assessments
- Brochures for providers, patients and caregivers
According to the CDC, healthcare providers can do the following three things to integrate falls prevention into their practice:
- Ask patients if they've fallen in the last year or if they're worried about falling
- Review medication and make changes if they could increase fall risk
- Recommend vitamin D supplements