The Administration on Aging, a program division within ACL, is pleased to announce that it has awarded grants—totaling over $4.8 million and funded by the 2014 Prevention and Public Health Fund—to advance the implementation and dissemination of evidence-based falls prevention programs and strategies across the nation.
Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries for those 65 years of age and older. Every 14 seconds, an older adult is seen in an emergency department for a fall-related injury. To help address this growing epidemic, ACL has awarded 10 grants to domestic public and private nonprofit entities, including state agencies and community organizations; and four grants to tribal organizations. ACL also awarded one grant for the first year of a two-year project period to a nonprofit organization to serve as the first-ever ACL National Falls Prevention Resource Center.
Together, these projects are designed to increase participation in evidence-based community programs to reduce falls and falls risk while also increasing the sustainability of such programs through innovative funding arrangements. The projects will specifically target adults at risk for falls, particularly older adults, including American Indian, Alaskan Native, and Native Hawaiian elders, as well as adults with disabilities.
Over a two year period, grantees intend to reach a total of nearly 19,000 individuals with programs that have been proven to reduce falls and/or falls risk among older adults, such as A Matter of Balance, Stepping On, Tai Chi, and Otago. The Resource Center will work collaboratively—on behalf of the public, aging services network, and other stakeholders—to increase public education about the risk of falls and how to prevent them, and to assist in sustainability efforts.
| Organization | Federal Award |
|---|---|
| National Council on Aging (serving as the Resource Center) | $400,000 |
| Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment | $400,000 |
| Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley | $492,960 |
| Foundation for Healthy Communities | $223,100 |
| Georgia Department of Human Services | $399,918 |
| Hardrock Council on Substance Abuse | $100,000 |
| Health Foundation of South Florida | $400,000 |
| Iowa Department on Aging | $385,840 |
| Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians | $99,999 |
| Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians | $42,532 |
| Minnesota Board on Aging | $500,000 |
| North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services | $303,822 |
| Sokaogon Chippewa Community | $99,816 |
| State of Vermont | $535,059 |
| Utah Department of Health | $465,530 |
Learn more about about ACL's Health, Prevention, and Wellness Programs.