Senate Resolution 133 - Introduced

PAG LIN

                                    S.R. ________ H.R. ________


  1  1                SENATE RESOLUTION NO.    
  1  2              BY  HARTSUCH, SENG, and WOOD
  1  3 A Resolution to recognize April 2008 as Fall Prevention
  1  4    Awareness Month for Older Iowans.
  1  5    WHEREAS, falls are a leading cause of injuries and
  1  6 their associated disabilities among the state's older
  1  7 population; and
  1  8    WHEREAS, the impact of a fall causes a significant
  1  9 reduction in a senior's quality of life and major
  1 10 costs to the health care system; and
  1 11    WHEREAS, the incidence of falls increases with age
  1 12 and one=third of older adults age 65 years and older
  1 13 fall each year; and
  1 14    WHEREAS, among other adults, falls are the leading
  1 15 cause of injury and death and the most common cause of
  1 16 nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions of trauma,
  1 17 with nine out of 10 hip fractures caused by falls; and
  1 18    WHEREAS, accidental injuries are the fifth leading
  1 19 cause of death, and falls account for two=thirds of
  1 20 accidental deaths; and
  1 21    WHEREAS, 75 percent of United States deaths related
  1 22 to falls occur with individuals who are 65 years or
  1 23 older and more than 60 percent of persons who die from
  1 24 falls are age 75 years or older; and
  1 25    WHEREAS, persons with hip fractures are 5 to 20
  1 26 percent more likely to die in the first year after a
  1 27 fall, and following a fall, 15 to 25 percent of
  1 28 persons who were living at home will still be in
  1 29 long=term care facilities; and
  1 30    WHEREAS, hospitalization rates and associated
  2  1 complications increase steadily with age until they
  2  2 double at about age 75; and
  2  3    WHEREAS, the older American population is projected
  2  4 to increase from 34.8 million to 77.2 million between
  2  5 2000 and 2040, causing the number of fall=related
  2  6 injuries to significantly increase, but research
  2  7 supports that 40 percent or more of falls that occur
  2  8 are preventable; NOW THEREFORE,
  2  9    BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, That the Senate
  2 10 hereby proclaims the month of April 2008 to be "Fall
  2 11 Prevention Awareness Month for Older Iowans" in the
  2 12 state of Iowa; and
  2 13    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the Senate joins the
  2 14 policy board members of the Generations Area Agency on
  2 15 Aging, who have initiated a major local project with
  2 16 the Scott County Health Department, Genesis Visiting
  2 17 Nursing and Hospice, Trinity Visiting Nurse and Home
  2 18 Care, and Braaten Health, in promoting awareness and
  2 19 disseminating information regarding the high incidence
  2 20 and adverse impact of falls among older Iowans, and
  2 21 encourages Iowa's thirteen area agencies on aging to
  2 22 disseminate information regarding, and encourage the
  2 23 use of, the best possible practices intended to reduce
  2 24 the incidence of falls and their devastating
  2 25 consequences.
  2 26 LSB 6607SS 82
  2 27 jr/nh/14