RISK ASSESSMENT AND PREVENTION

108th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 1217 To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand and intensify programs with respect to research and related activities concerning elder falls. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 9, 2003 Mr. ENZI (for himself and Ms. MIKULSKI) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions -->

A BILL To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to expand and intensify programs with respect to research and related activities concerning elder falls. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the `Elder Fall Prevention Act of 2003'. SEC. 2. FINDINGS. The problem of accidental falling is being addressed by the United States Congress with the proposed Fall Prevention Act.

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The Congress finds as follows: (1) Falls are the leading cause of injury and deaths among individuals who are over 65 years of age. (2) By 2030, the population of individuals who are 65 years of age or older will double. By 2050, the population of individuals who are 85 years of age or older will quadruple. (3) In 2000, falls among elderly individuals accounted for 10,200 deaths and 1,600,000 emergency department visits. (4) Sixty percent of fall-related deaths occur among individuals who are 75 years of age or older. (5) Twenty-five percent of elderly persons who sustain a hip fracture die within 1 year. (6) Hospital admissions for hip fractures among the elderly have increased from 231,000 admissions in 1988 to 332,000 in 1999. The number of hip fractures is expected to exceed 500,000 by 2040. (7) Annually, more than 64,000 individuals who are over 65 years of age sustain a traumatic brain injury as a result of a fall. (8) Annually 40,000 individuals who are over 65 years of age visit emergency departments with traumatic brain injuries suffered as a result of a fall, of which 16,000 of these individual are hospitalized and 4,000 of these individuals die. (9) The rate of fall-induced traumatic brain injuries for individual who are 80 years of age or older increased by 60 percent from 1989 to 1998. (10) The estimated total cost for non-fatal traumatic brain injury-related hospitalizations for falls in individuals who are 65 years of age or older is more than $3,250,000,000. Two-thirds of these costs occurred among individual who were 75 years of age or older. (11) The costs to the Medicare and Medicaid programs and society as a whole from falls by elderly persons continue to climb much faster than inflation and population growth. Direct costs alone will exceed $32,000,000,000 in 2020. (12) The Federal Government should devote additional resources to research regarding the prevention and treatment of falls in residential as well as institutional settings. (13) A national approach to reducing elder falls, which focuses on the daily life of senior citizens in residential, institutional, and community settings is needed. The approach should include a wide range of organizations and individuals including family members, health care providers, social workers, architects, employers and others. (14) Reducing preventable adverse events, such as elder falls, is an important aspect to the agenda to improve patient safety. Top of Page