September 23, 2008... In a time when seniors are faced with heating, food, and prescription medicine costs, serious injuries to our elders are often unanticipated and overlooked as plausible threats to their well-being and health. Falls and fall-related injuries are the leading cause of injury-related deaths and hospitalizations among Massachusetts' senior citizens-an alarming statistic for many residents of the Commonwealth.

In response to this unfortunate statistic, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, and other Bay State officials along with their partners in the health care system are taking pro-active steps to keep older adults upright, healthy and independent.

On Monday, September 22, Sen. Moore, along with State Elder Affairs Secretary Michael Festa and Department of Public Health Commissioner John Auerbach, joined more than 50 health care professionals from across the Commonwealth to mark "Falls Prevention Awareness Day," an educational and entertainment examination of ways our seniors can avoid falling and the severe and debilitating injuries that often result from falls.

"This day marks an important date of awareness for our senior citizens who may be susceptible to lasting injuries that result from a fall,"

Moore stated. "As we head into the fall season, the days become darker as time goes on; and the same can be said when one of our senior citizens fall, as their days become increasingly difficult and for their well-being and health. We must raise awareness to prevent these falls, for the benefit of seniors, and to reduce the cost of health care."

The state's second annual observance of Falls Prevention Awareness Day featured a proclamation from Governor Patrick that was read by Secretary Festa, and demonstrations of effective exercises, including tai chi-something that has been scientifically proven to prevent falls as part of an overall strategy of sound clinical care. Senior citizens from the East Cambridge Senior Center were on hand to join in a mass tai chi workout, and to demonstrate gait and balance exercises that anyone can do in the home.

Last year, Massachusetts saw an alarming 78 percent jump in fall-related deaths among seniors age 65 and over. Most of these deaths stem from traumatic brain injuries or from complications from hip fractures.

According to the Department of Public Health, fall-related injuries cost our state's health care system more than $400 million annually in hospital-related charges, at a time when state policymakers are seeking to cut costs for hospitals and long-term care facilities.

The Massachusetts Falls Prevention Coalition, which was created last year under the auspices of the Department of Public Health and the Department of Elder Affairs, connects individuals and organizations working on falls prevention across all sectors (hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, home care agencies, clinics, communities, state government, universities and others). They also work with health care professionals, government officials and consumers to develop and implement evidence-based programs to prevent falls in Massachusetts, so that health care costs are curbed.

To access more information, residents may call The Department of Public Health's Massachusetts Falls Prevention and Awareness line at 1-800-227-7233.