A resolution designating September 23, 2019, as "National Falls Prevention Awareness Day" to raise awareness and encourage the prevention of falls among older adults.

III 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. RES. 327 Designating September 23, 2019, as ‘‘National Falls Prevention Awareness Day’’ to raise awareness and encourage the prevention of falls among older adults. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES SEPTEMBER 24, 2019 Ms. COLLINS (for herself, Mr. CASEY, Mr. SCOTT of South Carolina, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Ms. MCSALLY, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mr. HAWLEY, Ms. WAR- REN, Mr. BRAUN, Mr. JONES, Mr. SCOTT of Florida, Ms. SINEMA, and Ms. ROSEN) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating September 23, 2019, as ‘‘National Falls Preven- tion Awareness Day’’ to raise awareness and encourage the prevention of falls among older adults. Whereas individuals who are 65 years of age or older (re- ferred to in this preamble as ‘‘older adults’’) are the fast- est growing segment of the population in the United States, and the number of older adults in the United States will increase from approximately 52,000,000 in 2018 to an estimated 95,000,000 by 2060; Whereas approximately 30 percent of older adults in the United States fall each year, with each 5-year increment in age increasing the risk of falls; VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:31 Sep 24, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR327.ATS SR327 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •SRES 327 ATS Whereas falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries among older adults; Whereas, in 2018, approximately 3,000,000 older adults were treated in hospital emergency departments for fall-related injuries, and nearly 870,000 of those older adults were subsequently hospitalized; Whereas, in 2017, more than 31,000 older adults died from injuries related to unintentional falls, and the death rate from falls of older adults in the United States is expected to continue to sharply rise to more than 100,000 per year by 2030; Whereas, in 2015, the total direct medical cost of fall-related injuries for older adults, adjusted for inflation, was ap- proximately $50,000,000,000; Whereas, if the rate of increase in falls is not slowed, the an- nual cost of fall injuries will surpass $100,000,000,000 by 2030; and Whereas evidence-based programs reduce falls by utilizing cost-effective strategies, such as exercise programs to im- prove balance and strength, medication management, vi- sion improvement, reduction of home hazards, and fall prevention education: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate— 1 (1) designates September 23, 2019, as ‘‘Na- 2 tional Falls Prevention Awareness Day’’; 3 (2) recognizes that there are proven, cost-effec- 4 tive falls prevention programs and policies; 5 (3) commends the 72 member organizations of 6 the Falls Free Coalition and the falls prevention coa- 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:31 Sep 24, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR327.ATS SR327 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •SRES 327 ATS litions in 43 States and the District of Columbia for 1 their efforts to work together to increase education 2 and awareness about preventing falls among older 3 adults; 4 (4) encourages businesses, individuals, Federal, 5 State, and local governments, the public health com- 6 munity, and health care providers to work together 7 to raise awareness of falls in an effort to reduce the 8 incidence of falls among older adults in the United 9 States; 10 (5) recognizes the Centers for Disease Control 11 and Prevention for its work developing and evalu- 12 ating interventions for all members of health care 13 teams to make falls prevention a routine part of 14 clinical care; 15 (6) recognizes the Administration for Commu- 16 nity Living for its work to promote access to evi- 17 dence-based programs and services in communities 18 across the United States; 19 (7) encourages State health departments and 20 State units on aging, which provide significant lead- 21 ership in reducing injuries and related health care 22 costs by collaborating with organizations and indi- 23 viduals, to reduce falls among older adults; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:31 Sep 24, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR327.ATS SR327 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •SRES 327 ATS (8) encourages experts in the field of falls pre- 1 vention to share their best practices so that their 2 success can be replicated by others. 3 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:31 Sep 24, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\SR327.ATS SR327 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS