A research centre has secured nearly US$150,000 to support falls prevention for older adults in Georgia through a statewide coalition.
The Injury Prevention Research Center at Emory (IPRCE) is one of 12 organisations to receive funding from the National Council on Aging and the Administration for Community Living to strengthen Georgia’s falls prevention coalition.
The centre will work with partners across the state to reduce falls and minimise risks among ageing adults.
“We are so proud to accept this grant to strengthen our fall prevention network and establish best practices for reducing falls among older adults in Georgia,” says IPRCE director Jonathan Rupp, PhD. “Falls can have a huge impact on a person’s quality of life. Preventing them takes all of us, not just one or two organisations. We’re excited to embark on this cross-sector work and support both older adults and their caregivers.”
Nationally, falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries for older adults in the US. In Georgia, 30 per cent of adults aged 65 and over fall each year. Through practical lifestyle changes, evidence-based falls prevention programmes and clinical–community collaborations, the number of falls among older adults can be reduced.
Over an 18-month grant period, IPRCE will recruit new coalition members, review current barriers to prevention in Georgia, prioritise goals and create programming aimed at advancing falls prevention.
“Through the distribution of micro-grants and technical assistance, IPRCE aims to increase opportunities for community organisations to implement evidence-based fall prevention programming in communities across Georgia — particularly in rural regions where ageing populations face higher risk of injury from falls,” says Rupp.
IPRCE is one of six organisations nationwide selected to expand and enhance existing falls prevention coalitions. The other six are in states with no established state coalitions.
IPRCE is working with organisations such as the Georgia Department of Public Health and Area Agencies on Aging to assess local falls prevention needs and develop training to support programme implementation.
By using established relationships, IPRCE collaborates across community settings including libraries, trauma centres, faith-based groups and other agencies to strengthen collaboration among coalition members. These actions support the implementation of evidence-based programming to reduce falls and improve health and safety for Georgia’s older adults.
Founded in 1993, the Injury Prevention Research Center at Emory is a collaborative, multi-institutional research centre working to mitigate the impact of injury in communities.