According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every three adults over the age of 65 falls each year. As the most common cause of traumatic brain injury (TBI), preventing falls is an incredibly important mission spearheaded by the National Council on Aging (NCOA) in the form of National Falls Prevention Awareness Day (NPAD). Taking place on the first day of fall each year, the NPAD was established in order to promote and increase public awareness about preventing and reducing falls amongst older adults.

The 6th annual National Falls Prevention Awareness Day was held yesterday on September 22nd, 2013. This year, the theme was “Preventing Falls – One Step at a Time” and focused on uniting older adults, professionals, caregivers, and family members to play a role in preventing falls and raising awareness. Florida was amongst the 46 states to participant in the momentous day. The National Council on Aging provided this helpful list of “6 Steps to Prevent a Fall”:

  1. Find a good balance and exercise program
  2. Talk to your health care provider
  3. Regularly review your medications with your doctor or pharmacist
  4. Get your vision and hearing checked annually and update your eyeglasses
  5. Keep your home safe
  6. Talk to your family members

Following these 6 steps will help the elderly community to handle aging and fall prevention in the best way possible. While preventing all falls amongst older adults is certainly improbable, raising awareness has proven to play an instrumental role in reducing the number of falls and associated injuries throughout the elderly population in the United States. For more information, please visit the National Council on Aging Falls Prevention page.