Health
Preventing Falls Throughout L.A.
- Emily Basner (left), a graduate student researcher at the Fall Prevention Center, and Anna Quyen Do Nguyen, an occupational therapist and research scientist at the center
By Athan Bezaitis on April 6, 2009 10:56 AM
The USC Andrus Gerontology Center’s Fall Prevention Center of Excellence received a three-year, $240,000 grant from the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Inc. to build a fall prevention coalition for the city of Los Angeles.
Anna Quyen Do Nguyen, an occupational therapist and research scientist at the center, was first to get word of the announcement in March. “Falls are a serious public health problem, especially in a metropolitan city like L.A. where the rate of falls and their associated costs are startling,” she said.
According to the center’s figures, approximately 125,000 people over the age of 60 fall each year in Los Angeles. In 2004, roughly 11,000 falls resulted in hospitalizations throughout the city, with a mean cost of $46,234 per admittance.
Although the risk for falls increases dramatically with age, falls are not an inevitable part of aging.
“The rate of falls and related costs can be significantly reduced through a multipronged effort led by a coalition of stakeholders,” said Jon Pynoos, co-director of the center and professor of gerontology at the USC Davis School. “We have secured support from organizations such as the Los Angeles Department of Aging, the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Health, Kaiser Permanente, AltaMed, the Arthritis Foundation and the Little Tokyo Service Center.”
Fall Prevention Center staffers will provide technical guidance and support to increase awareness about fall prevention, train staff in partnership organizations about best practices, create evidence-based programs, educate older adults and their caregivers, develop referral mechanisms and advocate with policymakers to include fall prevention in housing, redevelopment and transportation plans.
The coalition’s efforts also will be an opportunity to address fall prevention needs of culturally diverse communities underserved due to language barriers, low income and disability, Nguyen said.
“After evaluating 10 coalitions across the state as they spread the word about fall prevention in their communities, we have seen how coalitions can be successful change agents,” said Emily Basner, a Fall Prevention Center researcher and graduate student at the USC Davis School. “We look forward to applying their successes through our grant from the Kaiser Foundation.”
The Fall Prevention Center of Excellence is supported by the Archstone Foundation.
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