NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
SAN FERNANDO, Calif. (Oct. 5, 2017) —The U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL) has awarded Partners in Care Foundation (Partners) a $600,000 grant to scale and sustain evidence-based falls prevention programs aimed at reducing fall-related injuries and fear of falling among older adults, especially those with disabilities. Falls impose a challenging burden on injured people and the healthcare system making prevention efforts critical. Although fall risk increases with age, many falls are preventable.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that every 14 seconds an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall—resulting in psychological and physical suffering—and every 20 minutes an older adult dies from a fall-related injury. Preventable falls result in approximately $2.4 billion direct annual healthcare costs with the average fall hospital visit costing more than $30,000.
According to Partners CEO, June Simmons, “Falls among disabled and aging adults are a serious health concern leading to substantial economic and human costs—due to unplanned medical emergencies and hospitalization.”
This grant allows Partners to offer structured group workshops emphasizing practical strategies that increase activity levels, reduce fall risk and fear, and improve balance through programs, such as A Matter of Balance—a nationally-recognized curriculum. Partners will launch additional structured group interventions, including Tai Chi for Arthritis, recommended by ACL and CDC and Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance.
“We develop partnerships with organizations in California aimed at participants who have low access to falls prevention in high need areas,” said Dianne Davis, Senior Director of Health Self-Management Service. “In addition, we’re developing a sustainable evidence-based education network to deliver falls prevention programs now and well into the future.”
About Partners in Care Foundation
Partners in Care Foundation (Partners) is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit organization serving communities providing preventative support and social services to adults with complex health issues since 1997. Partners is a family of healthcare innovators collaborating with a wide array of health plans, hospitals and physician networks, community based organizations, and governmental agencies. Based in the Greater Los Angeles area, Partners is accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Partners is the largest organization of its kind in California. For more information, visit www.picf.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Daylyn W. Presley, MS, IMC
Communications Manager
818-837-3775 x131
dpresley@picf.org
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