A bipartisan group of U.S. senators this week approved Senate Resolution 633. The bill designates today, the first day of fall, “National Falls Prevention Awareness Day.”
Investing in falls prevention will save billions of dollars that otherwise would have been spent on treatment, said Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging. Kohl offered an announcement about the day along with Sens. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Bob Casey (D-PA), George LeMieux (R-FL), and Russ Feingold (D-WI).
Falls are the leading cause of nursing home admissions in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than $19.2 billion is spent treating the adverse effects of falls among the elderly. The resolution, similar to one passed last year, voices support for organizations working to both promote awareness about falls prevention and implement programs to help reduce falls among older Americans
