National Safety Council Testifies in Support of Elder Fall Prevention Act

6/12/2002

From: Joe Larkin of the National Safety Council, 630-775-2303

ITASCA, Ill., June 12 -- Bobby Jackson, vice president for National Programs of the National Safety Council (NSC), testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Subcommittee on Aging in support of the Elder Fall Prevention Act of 2002.

The Elder Fall Prevention Act, sponsored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) with Sen. Tim Hutchinson (R-Ark.), if passed, will direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand and intensify programs with respect to research and related activities concerning elder falls. Provisions include a comprehensive national education campaign; demonstration projects; research programs; and a review of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement policies.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that more than 10,000 seniors died in 1999 from fall-related injuries. Jackson testified that 25 percent of those who fracture a hip in a fall - among the most common injuries - die within a year, and 75 percent will never regain the quality of life they had before the fall. Hip fractures are projected to exceed 500,000 by 2040 if action is not taken. Jackson further said that CDC estimates that the direct costs to Medicare and Medicaid for falls-related care will exceed $32 billion in 2020.

The bill will provide $38 million annually for a three-year education campaign, to fund research to prevent falls and improve treatment, and to review Medicare and Medicaid coverage.

Jackson said that the National Safety Council has numerous outreach vehicles to address the problem including a network of 49 state and local chapters, an extensive volunteer network, and the NSC-founded National Alliance To Prevent Falls As We Age. The Alliance is a coalition of more than 20 organizations dedicated to reducing elder falls. The Council will apply its outreach expertise to communicate with senior citizens, their families, institutional caregivers, and others on fall prevention.

Information on the bill, S.1922, can be found on http://thomas.loc.gov/

The National Safety Council is a not-for-profit, nongovernmental public service organization dedicated to protecting life and promoting health. NSC members represent over 37,500 business and labor organizations, schools, public agencies, private groups and individuals. For additional information about NSC activities, visit the Council's website at http://www.nsc.org.