Falls Prevention Awareness Week Toolkit
Welcome to the Falls Prevention Awareness Week Toolkit hosted by NCOA and the Falls Free Initiative.
The 17th annual Falls Prevention Awareness Week focuses on From Awareness to Action.
NCOA, the Falls Free Initiative, and partners have spent the last 15 years educating and engaging with older adults about falls prevention through evidence-based programming and enlisting support from health care providers, community resources, friends, and family. We know that preventing falls is possible, and we want to empower older adults to take action and reduce their risk of falling.
All tools and resources in the Falls Prevention Awareness Week toolkit below have been developed and curated to help you maximize your impact in raising falls prevention awareness to older adults you serve. You are encouraged to use these resources and repurpose them on your website and for any activities you have planned for September and throughout the year. Our toolkit offers digital and printable assets you can use to generate engagement, including encouraging your community to play a role in falls prevention.
Use the links below to navigate to the resources you're most interested in
- Falls Free CheckUp Logos and Banners
- Social Media Toolkit and Shareable Graphics
- Press Release Template and Public Relations Toolkit
- Articles, Infographics, and Other Printable Resources
- Bone Health and Falls Prevention
- Get the Facts on Concussions and Falls
- Advocacy
Falls Prevention Awareness Week resources
Preventing and reducing falls can be achieved with a few easy steps, as seen in our video below.
We’ve expanded the widely used 6 Steps to Prevent a Fall framework into handouts, slide decks, and videos. Use the resources below to help older adults you serve understand how they can take action and prevent falls.
Resource | Intended Audience | Language |
6 Falls Prevention Steps to Help Your Older Adult Loved Ones | Caregivers | |
Handout: Talk to Your Family | Older Adults, Caregivers, Professionals | |
Handout: Talk to Your Doctor | Older Adults, Caregivers, Professionals | |
Handout: Review Your Medications | Older Adults, Caregivers, Professionals | |
Handout: Make Your Home Safe | Older Adults, Caregivers, Professionals | |
Handout: Find a Good Exercise Program | Older Adults, Caregivers, Professionals | |
Handout: Care for Your Vision and Hearing | Older Adults, Caregivers, Professionals | |
Slide Deck: 6 Steps to Prevent a Fall | Older Adults, Caregivers, Professionals | |
Slide Deck: 6 Things You Can Do Today to Prevent a Fall | Older Adults, Caregivers, Professionals | |
Video: 6 Steps to Prevent a Fall | Older Adults, Caregivers, Professionals |
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Falls Free CheckUp logos and banners
It is important for older adults to understand their risk of falling. NCOA's Falls Free CheckUp is a digital assessment where older adults can answer 13 simple questions to get their falls risk score and steps to reduce their risk.
- English: ncoa.org/FallsFreeCheckUp
- Spanish: ncoa.org/ChequeoContraCaidas
Each of the following campaign banners has been formatted for the social media platform you plan on using to promote Falls Free CheckUp. These banners are intended to serve as a cover photo during Falls Prevention Awareness Week.
Download NCOA's Falls Free CheckUp logos and campaign banners below in English and Spanish to promote our digital tool.
Intended Use | Language | |
Logos | Web - Public Awareness | English (PNG) |
Spanish (PNG) | ||
Campaign Banners | Facebook - Option 1 | English (JPG) |
Spanish (JPG) | ||
Facebook - Option 2 | English (JPG) | |
Spanish (JPG) | ||
Facebook - Option 3 | English (JPG) | |
Spanish (JPG) | ||
LinkedIn - Option 1 | English (JPG) | |
Spanish (JPG) | ||
LinkedIn - Option 2 | English (JPG) | |
Spanish (JPG) | ||
LinkedIn - Option 3 | English (JPG) | |
Spanish (JPG) | ||
Twitter/ X - Option 1 | English (JPG) | |
Twitter/ X - Option 2 | English (JPG) | |
Twitter/ X - Option 3 | English (JPG) |
Social media toolkit and shareable graphics
Spread falls prevention awareness and education on social media. Use our sample messaging in the social media toolkit we've developed to promote Falls Prevention Awareness Week any time during the year.
Accompany your posts with the following digital images that can be used across your organization's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn pages. See the Facebook image preview example below for 'Make Your Home Safe'.
NCOA's Falls Prevention Awareness Week Social Media Toolkit
Topic Area | Social Media Platform | ||
6 Falls Prevention Steps Social Graphics | Talk to Your Family | Facebook/LinkedIn | |
Twitter/X | |||
Talk to Your Doctor | Facebook/LinkedIn | ||
Twitter/X | |||
Review Your Medications | Facebook/LinkedIn | ||
Twitter/X | |||
Make Your Home Safe | Facebook/LinkedIn | ||
Twitter/X | |||
Find a Good Exercise Program | Facebook/LinkedIn | ||
Twitter/X | |||
Care for Your Vision and Hearing | Facebook/LinkedIn | ||
Twitter/X |
Falls prevention truly is a team effort. Download these seven graphics and use them in social media posts or any other resources to highlight the value of each community member.
Topic Area | Language | ||
Falls Prevention Is A Team Effort | Family & Friends | English (PNG) | |
Occupational Therapist | English (PNG) | ||
Doctor | English (PNG) | ||
Pharmacist | English (PNG) | ||
Fire Department | English (PNG) | ||
Physical Therapist | English (PNG) | ||
Community Neighborhood | English (PNG) | ||
More on the team effort of falls prevention:
- Delivering Home Modifications That Meet Older Adults' Needs
- Strengthening Falls Prevention Efforts with the Help of First Responders
Press release template and public relations toolkit
Traditional media continues to be a reliable communication modality in local communities. Engage and inform your community around older adult falls by spreading awareness to your local news channel and newspaper.
- Press Release/Public Relations Toolkit: Get everything you need to help spread the word about preventing falls, including a planning calendar; a sample calendar announcement, media advisory, and press release; and tips and sample scripts to pitch reporters.
- Making the Most of Your Media Moment Recording: Learn how to engage with your local media and increase falls prevention education to older adults and your community. Watch NCOA's webinar, featuring Simona Combi, NCOA's Public Relations Manager.
Articles, infographics, and other printable resources
It seems that falls are common, no matter what age. However, for many older adults, an unexpected fall can result in a serious and costly injury. The good news is that falls can be prevented. Below you'll find articles and printable resources that can be used to talk to an older adult, family members, or health care professionals about creating a falls prevention plan.
Download NCOA's flyers, infographics, and other printable resources.
Intended Audience | Language | |
Debunking the Myths of Older Adult Falls | Older Adults, Caregivers | |
Falls Prevention Conversation Guide | Caregivers | |
How to Prevent Falls with Home Safety Modifications | Older Adults, Caregivers, Professionals | |
Home Falls Prevention Checklist for Tribal Members | Older Adults, Caregivers, Professionals | |
Elder Falls Prevention for Native Americans | Older Adults, Caregivers, Professionals | |
Medication Record Form | Older Adults, Caregivers, Professionals |
Bone health and falls prevention
Osteoporosis causes bones to be weak where an accident, such as a fall, can fracture the bones. However, it is never too late to identify and treat osteoporosis or prevent falls to avoid broken bones. Share the American Bone Health Fracture Risk Calculator with older adults you serve so they can better understand their bone health. And share the Bone Health Discussion Guide we developed with funding from Amgen.
- Fracture Risk Calculator: AmericanBoneHealth.org/ncoafrc
- Better Bone Health: A Discussion Guide (PDF)
Also, share the handout below to help older adults better understand the importance of falls prevention and how it can help prevent a bone fracture.
Intended Audience | Language | |
Get the Facts on Osteoporosis, Falls, and Broken Bones | Older Adults, Caregivers, Professionals |
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Get the facts on concussions and falls
A concussion is an injury to the brain. And falls are the No. 1 cause of concussions. Share this fact sheet from Concussion Awareness NOW for an overview of the link between concussions and falls and what to do if someone falls and hits their head.
Advocacy
Educate your elected officials about how public dollars support evidence-based falls prevention programs for older adults, caregivers, family members, and the community at large. Aging services professionals are well-positioned to explain how limited public investment, along with growing demand, is having a domino effect on programs and services that help older adults remain healthy and independent in their own homes and communities. It’s important that Congress understand how older adults and caregivers are being affected by funding and policy decisions.
Below are links to help guide your falls prevention advocacy efforts:
- Governor's Proclamation (Template): Edit the downloadable template and yellow highlights as needed for your state. National numbers in the proclamation template are cited. States can add citations for their state-specific data.
- Falls Prevention Programs: Saving Lives, Saving Money Infographic: Falls are the No. 1 cause of injury and fatal injury among older adults. Download and share this infographic to show how evidence-based falls prevention programs are effective.
Thank you to our funder the Administration for Community Living (ACL)
This project was supported, in part by grant number 90FPSG0051 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.
Prepare for Falls Prevention Awareness Week
Your Voice Matters. Take Our Survey.
Falls prevention IS awareness to action, including getting help from you. That's why we're asking for feedback on NCOA's falls prevention resources, and also any success stories of your falls prevention efforts to be featured in our impact report. Please help us by completing this short survey by November 1, 2024.