HUD Report Seeks Greater Action on Injuries to Seniors in the Home

Approximately one-third of adults age 65 years or older fall in their home, resulting in injury, long-term disability, and premature institutionalization. By 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the cost related to these kinds of injuries to be nearly $60 billion a year. In an effort to reduce and prevent falls and their associated costs, HUD recently released a wide-ranging report recommending a more holistic approach to seniors aging-in-place and their health needs.

Released during National Healthy Homes Month, HUD's report, Overcoming Obstacles to Policies for Preventing Falls by the Elderly, (https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=OvercomingObstaclesFalls.pdf ) recommends government and philanthropic organizations work together at every level to integrate fall prevention strategies and support efforts to aging-in-place, senior safety at home, and continuous care models.

HUD's report contains a toolkit highlighting numerous funding sources and the rationale for outreach to non-traditional partners to improve delivery of services and care to seniors. The toolkit covers four key areas:

• Why senior falls prevention and coordinated care is an important issue for the nation and what some communities are doing to meet the needs of seniors;
• What partners and stakeholders should be engaged, what each can offer to this effort, and why a holistic approach may provide the best potential;
• What financial resources, from all levels of government to health insurers and philanthropies, may be available to help create and sustain effective policies and programs; and
• How to sustain policies and programs over the long-term.