09/25/2025
Every year during Falls Prevention Awareness Week, Visiting Nurses joins the National Council on Aging’s effort to bring awareness to the harm caused by falls and the steps that can be taken to help prevent falls. It’s also an everyday activity for Visiting Nurses’ clinical staff, especially for Physical and Occupational Therapists, who help patients improve their strength, balance, and environment to keep them safer and prevent falls as they recover from injury, illness, or surgery.
This topic is especially significant for older adults, who also make up the majority of VNA’s patients. According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), an older adult is seen in an emergency department for a fall-related injury every 11 seconds. Falls are also the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among older adults. Unfortunately, many of us have probably had an aging family member, friend, or acquaintance whose health has taken a turn for the worse after a fall. It is a considerable threat to older adults ability to safely age in place. So, for older adults who want to stay healthy and maintain their independence, it is vital to be proactive in preventing falls. The NCOA recommends taking these 6 steps to help prevent falls:
1. Look to build balance, strength, and flexibility.
2. Ask for an assessment of your risk of falling.
3. Make sure medication side effects aren't increasing your risk of falling.
4. Your eyes and ears are key to keeping you on your feet, so get them checked annually!
5. Keep your home safe by removing tripping hazards, increasing lighting, and installing grab bars in key areas.
6. Enlist your family members' support in taking simple steps to stay safe.
