Partners in Care Foundation, a Los Angeles based non-profit that provides community-based care services, has become the only organization in the Western United States to receive new grant funding aimed at reducing the rapidly escalating number of older Americans at risk for falls. The grant award was announced by the Administration on Aging (AoA) during the recent White House Conference on Aging.
Alarming figures published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal that one out of three older adults falls each year, resulting in 734,000 hospitalizations, at a cost, in 2013 alone, of $34 billion. And the number of people falling is increasing. Between 2004-2013, the rate of death amongst adults 65+ from unintentional falls rose from 41 per 100,000 to 56 per 100,000. As a result, the AoA is awarding $4 million in new grants to significantly expand falls prevention efforts.
Partners, a founding member of the national Evidence-Based Leadership Council, will be providing evidence-based community programs aimed at people who have fallen in the past, have a risk of falling and who may be reducing their activities due to a fear of falling. Research has shown that community-based education programs can have a significant positive impact on falls and falls risk. Program participants learn to change their environment to reduce fall risk factors, to view falls and the fear of falling as controllable, to set realistic goals to increase activity, and to exercise to increase strength and balance.
Commenting on the grant award, Dianne Davis, Senior Director, Evidence-Based Programs at Partners said, “As a community-based organization, we see firsthand the effect that falls can have on a person’s quality of life, and on their ability to remain independent. We’re delighted to be able to expand the reach of falls prevention efforts to more Californians.”
“We also want to recognize the critical role played by the California Department of Aging (CDA) and the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in securing the grant funding. Their long-standing support of our work and commitment to collaboration has been essential to helping us spread evidence-based health promotion programs across California.“
For further information please contact:
Dianne Davis, Senior Director, Evidence-Based Programs
Partners in Care Foundation
ddavis@picf.org / 818 837 3775 x116
