One fall can change a life forever.Physical therapists see it all the time. A grandfather misses the bottom step of the front porch while hurrying after a grandchild. A woman living alone slips on a small piece of ice that fell unnoticed on the kitchen floor. A senior gets tangled in an extension cord running across the living room. In an instant, an ordinary day becomes an ambulance ride, a hospital stay, surgery, rehabilitation, or the loss of independence.For older Americans and their families, falls are not minor accidents. They are life-changing events. Every year, tens of millions of falls occur among Americans aged 65 and older. Nearly 1 million older adults are hospitalized annually because of fall-related injuries, including traumatic brain injuries and hip fractures. For too many seniors, a fall is the moment that changes where they live, how they move, and how much freedom they have in their daily lives.
RETIREMENT NEST EGGS ARE IN JEOPARDY. SAFER ACT IS THE ANSWER
That means nearly every family, church, neighborhood, workplace, and community has someone who is at risk. Whether it is a parent, grandparent, neighbor, veteran, retired teacher, or family friend, fall prevention is not an abstract health policy debate. It is about protecting the people who helped build our communities.
