APTQI Applauds $27.8 Million Federal Investment in Falls Prevention
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently announced $27.8 million in funding awards for three falls prevention initiatives, aiming to expand preventive programs and help state and local partners reach more older adults before they fall. APTQI supports investment in falls-prevention measures and commends HHS for prioritizing preventive care expansion and highlighting the costly consequences of falls.
With falls being the leading cause of injury and injury-related deaths for older adults—costing an estimated $80 billion in annual healthcare spending—preventive interventions are needed to help mitigate injuries, hospitalizations, and other serious consequences associated with falls.
The Administration’s investment in falls-prevention programs is an effort under the National Falls Prevention Action Plan to unite agencies and reduce falls over the next three years. This includes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths and Injuries (STEADI) initiative—which supports healthcare providers in screening for, assessing, and addressing fall risk—and the Stepping On program, a community-based falls prevention program that helps older adults improve strength and balance while addressing risks.
“HHS is connecting healthcare screening with proven community programs to identify risks earlier, improve strength and balance, and help older adults maintain their independence. These investments will reduce injuries and healthcare costs while helping more Americans remain safely in their homes and communities,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
By connecting older adults with falls-prevention programs and providers who can identify fall risks early and help make their homes safer, HHS aims to close gaps in the adoption and implementation of person-centered, evidence-based interventions for falls. APTQI appreciates this cross-agency federal investment in preventive, risk-based care from providers to help safeguard older Americans from the impacts of falls.
As falls risk experts, physical therapists provide lifesaving preventive care and are uniquely trained to identify an individual’s risk for falling. APTQI is dedicated to expanding access to falls prevention and strengthening providers’ ability to help patients live safe, mobile, and independent lives. In additional supporting the Administration’s investment in falls prevention, APTQI is urging the Congress to pass the Stopping Addiction and Falls for the Elderly (SAFE) Act (S. 2612 / H.R. 1171), which would incorporate a no-cost falls risk assessment by a physical therapist into a Medicare beneficiary’s annual wellness benefit.
To read the full announcement from HHS, CLICK HERE.
To learn more about the SAFE Act, CLICK HERE.