Ten free events aimed at preventing falls and reducing fall-related injuries among older adults will kick off Thursday, Sept. 12, and run through early November, according to the Southern Chapter of the Arizona Falls Prevention Coalition.
Falls Prevention Awareness Day is Sept. 23.
Falls are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths but are largely preventable, states a news release by the coalition. Each day more than 10,000 people age 65 and older fall in the United States, officials say.
Deaths from falls among adults ages 75 or older in the United States increased from 8,613 in 2000 to 25,189 in 2016, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in June. A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study showed that falls cost the U.S. health-care system about $50 billion a year.
Dr. Bob England, director of the Pima County Health Department, said he hopes the events “empower residents and their caregivers to take action to stop a fall before it happens.”
The events in the Tucson area and Southern Arizona are:
- Tucson, Sept. 12 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Ellie Towne Flowing Wells Community Center, 1660 W. Ruthrauff Road.
- Tucson, Sept. 20 from 9 to 11 a.m. at El Rio Community Health Centers at El Pueblo Building 9, 101 W. Irvington Road.
- Green Valley, Sept. 23 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Valley Assistance Services Valley Presbyterian Church, 2800 S. Camino del Sol.
- Nogales, Sept. 27 from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Santa Cruz Care Conference event, 2150 N. Congress Drive.
- Tucson, Sept. 27 from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at Banner-University Medical Center at the Health Sciences Innovation Building, 1670 E. Drachman St.
- Sierra Vista, Oct. 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Oct. 6 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Art in the Park crafts fair, 3105 E. Fry Blvd.
- Patagonia, Oct. 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Oct. 13 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Patagonia Fall Festival, 325 McKeown Ave.
- Tucson, Oct. 16 from 9 a.m. to noon at Encompass Health Rehabilitation at Mountain View Retirement Village, 7900 N. La Cañada Drive.
- Tucson, Oct. 24 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Tucson Estates Multipurpose Hall, 5900 W. Western Way.
- Tucson, Nov. 7 from 9 to 11:30 a.m. at Picture Rocks Community Center, 5615 N. Sanders Road.
For more information visit www.healthypima.com/falls or call the Pima Council on Aging at 790-7262.
