Massachusetts Falls Prevention Coalition

The Massachusetts Falls Prevention Coalition was established in 2006 by founding organizations, the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, to raise awareness about the serious problem of older adult falls and associated injuries and promote the availability of successful prevention strategies to help reduce falls rates in Massachusetts.

The Coalition is currently comprised of over 150 individuals representing nearly 100 organizations including state agencies, multiple types of community-based organizations serving older adults, healthcare providers/practitioners (e.g., occupational therapists, physical therapists, nurses, pharmacists), long term care and hospital providers, physical fitness experts/Tai Chi practitioners, health insurers, public health researchers/epidemiologists, educators, advocates, etc.

SHARING A MISSION

Our voluntary Falls Coalition members are committed to the following mission:

To increase awareness that falls are preventable;
To support family members/caregivers, healthcare providers, and the community at large about falls prevention; and
To reduce the incidence and severity of falls and fall-related injuries across the lifespan

HOW DOES THE COALITION WORK TOGETHER?

We hold quarterly membership meetings that offer opportunities to network with each other, share important news around falls prevention activities/events, and learn from invited expert presenters and member presenters about their falls prevention work and new programs and initiatives. Meetings are held at the Mass Medical Society headquarters in Waltham.
The first day of fall each September is the national observance of Falls Prevention Awareness Day also referred to as FPAD as spearheaded by the National Council on Aging. Most years we host an annual FPAD event and resource fair in late September at the Massachusetts State House that coincides closely with this day of recognition for raising awareness that falls are preventable. Note: an FPAD event is not scheduled for September 2019 but many of our members will be hosting activities within their own organizations and communities during that time.
We maintain regular contact through an e-mail distribution list that enables timely dissemination of pertinent information, for example, new research on evidence-based falls prevention interventions, the release of state/federal reports on falls and fall-related data, announcements of funding-related opportunities, upcoming events of interest to organizations serving older adult populations and other “at-risk for falls” populations, etc.
Volunteer Coalition members maintain our Facebook and Twitter sites.

HOW CAN I BECOME A MEMBER OF THE MA FALLS PREVENTION COALITION?

If you are interested in becoming a member, please contact Helen Magliozzi.

IMPORTANT LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FALLS PREVENTION