Falls Prevention Awareness Week: September 18-22, 2023

Falls among older adults continue to be a national public health concern. Join us September 18-22, 2023, for Falls Prevention Awareness Week, a nationwide observance with state coalitions and partners to raise awareness on preventing falls, reducing the risk of falls, and helping older adults live without fear of falling.

The South Dakota Falls Prevention Coalition is observing Falls Prevention Awareness Week. The week will be observed September 18-22, 2023, in conjunction with the National Council on Aging. The week is an opportunity to raise awareness about how to prevent falls among older adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of four older Americans fall each year, and a single fall doubles the chance of falling again.

The coalition developed a free SD Falls Prevention Toolkit as a resource for healthcare
professionals to identify and support individuals at risk for a fall. Community or healthcare facilities interested in preventing falls are encouraged to access and distribute resources during Falls Prevention Awareness Week, and beyond. For more information or to join the coalition, contact Leacey Brown at PreventFallsSD@gmail.com.

In honor of fall prevention week, join SDAHO on Tuesday, September 26 as we host Karla Cazer and Abigail Gramlick-Mueller from Sanford Medical Center as they educate on the topic of ‘Fall Prevention: Keeping Our Older Patients Standing Strong’. During this webinar, they will educate on how to identify fall risks in older adults, provide interventions to mitigate risk and discuss referrals for fall prevention programming. Click here to register.

The National Council on Aging, (NCOA) has created a toolkit as part of the Falls Free Initiative. This year’s 16th annual Falls Prevention Awareness Week is focused on From Awareness to Action. NCOA, the Falls Free Initiative, and partners have spent the last 15 years educating and engaging with older adults about falls prevention through evidence-based programming and enlisting support from health care providers, community resources, friends, and family.  We know that preventing falls is possible, and we want to empower older adults to take action and reduce their risk of falling.

All tools and resources in the Falls Prevention Awareness Week toolkit below have been developed and curated to help you maximize your impact in raising falls prevention awareness to older adults you serve. You are encouraged to use these resources and repurpose them on your website and for any activities you have planned for September and throughout the year. This toolkit offers digital and printable assets you can use to generate engagement, including encouraging your community to play a role in falls prevention.

The Falls Prevention Awareness Week toolkit includes:

• From Awareness to Action
• Falls Free CheckUp Logos and Banners
• Social Media Toolkit and Shareable Graphics
• Press Release Template and Public Relations Toolkit
• Articles, Infographics, and Other Printable Resources
• Bone Health and Falls Prevention
• Advocacy
• DOWNLOAD ALL CAMPAIGN ASSETS

At the end of the observance, you are invited to share success stories of your falls prevention efforts to be featured in NCOA impact report. Please complete this short survey to provide feedback on this toolkit and its resources by October 31, 2023.

Watch the video on 6 Steps to Prevent a Fall.

Learn more by visiting NCOA.org