The National Council on Aging (NCOA) issued an action plan that would, in part, equip providers of aging services with a single clearinghouse of information about fall prevention and support health care providers in securing the funding needed to put those strategies into practice.
The newly released 2025 National Falls Prevention Action Plan is a comprehensive strategy to reduce falls and fall-related injuries among older Americans by outlining clear steps to prevent these incidents over the next decade.
“It’s time to stop falls in their tracks so that we can save lives and money,” NCOA President and CEO Ramsey Alwin said in a statement. “As a nation, we can do much more to help older adults avoid falls and their devastating effects and costs. Falls prevention requires a multidisciplinary approach, and that’s exactly what this plan proposes.”
With over 36 million fall incidents each year, falls cost Medicare $80 billion annually. By 2030, the expense of treating all fall-related injuries is expected to reach $101 billion, according to the NCOA.
The plan includes six integrated goals, including expanding awareness through a national communications campaign; increasing funding for awareness, screenings and assessments; scaling interventions by developing clinical and community-based prevention programs; coordinating care by building infrastructure that supports partnerships among providers and community-based aging networks; using technology for falls prevention products; and enhancing data collection and research by gathering more comprehensive information about why older adults fall.
New NCOA research shows that participants in these programs experience a 56% decrease in injurious falls; a 52% decrease in fall incidents, a 26% decrease in hospital admissions and an 18% decrease in emergency room visits due to falls.
Based on these findings, researchers estimate that a $45 million yearly investment in falls prevention programs could save the federal government between $263 million and $1.2 billion annually in Medicare and Medicaid costs.
The 2025 plan builds on proposals from 2005 and 2015, addressing ongoing challenges such as stigma, lack of awareness, and poor coordination between community and clinical providers.
“The action plan outlines not only the steps needed to achieve each goal but also the possible obstacles to success,” Alwin said.
This recommendation follows a bipartisan bill aimed at improving the safety of older Americans by making fall-prevention equipment reimbursable under Medicare Part B.
The Stand Strong for Medicare Act, sponsored by Senator Angus King (I-Maine) and Representative Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.), requires Medicare Part B to cover the cost of fall prevention equipment, including but not limited to grab bars, non-slip mats, shower chairs, bed rails and other necessary devices as prescribed by a licensed health care provider. It also mandates that the Secretary of Health and Human Services compile an annual list of qualifying equipment, ensuring Medicare continues to support best practices in fall prevention and adapts to advances in safety equipment.
“Falls can be serious, even deadly, for older Americans, and Congress must consider the issue as seriously as we would for any other medical condition,” Magaziner said in a statement. “Passing this legislation would be a step toward reducing preventable injuries among seniors, lowering costs to the health care system, and providing seniors with the resources they need to live safely and independently.
Alwin praised Magaziner and King for their efforts to expand this Medicare coverage.
“Covering items such as grab bars and shower chairs under Medicare Part B will make these devices more affordable and accessible,” he said. “It will also directly support the goals in the 2025 National Falls Prevention Plan.”
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