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Center for Healthy Aging

In Partnership With:

Falls Prevention Awareness Day
Sept. 22
Active Aging Week
Sept. 22-28
Join in these great events to promote safe and healthy aging!

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Falls Prevention Awareness Day

Falls Prevention Webinar View the recording and download the presentation from our August webinar Standing Together to Prevent Falls.

National Falls Prevention Awareness Day will be observed September 22, 2013 to promote and increase public awareness about how to prevent and reduce falls among older adults.

In 2012, 46 states, DC, and Puerto Rico participated in Falls Prevention Awareness Day. The states include AL, AK, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, NM, NV, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, UT, VA, VT, WA, and WI.

This year’s theme, Preventing Falls—One Step at a Time, seeks to unite professionals, older adults, caregivers, and family members to play a part in raising awareness and preventing falls in the older adult population.

After FPAD, we survey states about their activities and publish an overview of our findings. If your organization participates, please contact your state coalition to make sure you are counted. If you do not yet have a coalition listed we still want to capture your efforts, please contact us directly.

We are also interested in collecting your photos from the event to share. Please email photos to Emily.Dessem@ncoa.org and don't forget to include a photo release.

Senate Proclamation

The U.S. Senate passed S.Res. 553 designating Sept. 22, 2012 as National Falls Prevention Awareness Day (FPAD). In his last year in the Senate, Sen. Kohl (D-WI) once again took the lead on this important effort to raise awareness and encourage the prevention of falls among older adults. Six Senators who have cosponsored this resolution in the past once again lent their support this year. Learn more.

Planning for 2013

Use these resources to plan and promote a successful Falls Prevention Awareness Day event in your community.

Note: If you adapt any of the materials posted, please credit the state author or NCOA.

State Proclamation Samples

Press Release Samples

Fact Sheet Samples

Ideas to Promote Your Events

Other Resources

Finding Partners

Finding good partners will help build successful Falls Prevention Awareness Day activities. Working collaboratively can help identify new opportunities. Partners can provide marketing and media coverage, help recruit participants or provide a location. Some ideas to get you started include:

churches
elected officials
fire departments
healthcare day clinics
hospital systems

libraries
local businesses
local newspapers
Meals on Wheels
volunteer organizations

Host Locations

Many locations host Falls Prevention Awareness Day activities. Potential locations include:

community centers
churches
fitness centers
hardware stores (Lowe's, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, etc...)
health fairs
hearing aid vendors
hospitals

libraries
malls
older adult housing
opticians' offices
pharmacies
physical therapy clinics
senior centers
senior meal sites
specialist footwear stores

Resources from Past Falls Prevention Awareness Day Events

Falls Prevention Photo and Story Contest

We asked you to send us your high-quality, action photos of seniors participating in falls prevention programs along with the story of how a program or health care professional changed their life—and you delivered!

Five winners were chosen out of the 23 entries we received. The entries were reviewed by a panel made up of an older adult and representatives from the Advocacy & Awareness Committee, CDC, NCOA communications team, and Falls Free©. View the winning entries.

Congressional Falls Prevention Briefing 2011

Sen. Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Committee on Aging, sponsored a briefing on falls prevention in conjunction with Falls Prevention Awareness Day 2011. The event featured speakers from NCOA, the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, the Administration on Aging, and representatives from Maine and Wisconsin. Get the slides.

A special highlight of the event was video testimonials of older adults from Maine and Wisconsin who have benefited from falls prevention programs in their community Watch the Maine video. Watch the Wisconsin video.