Lawmakers need to do more to help prevent older Americans from the crisis of falls. That may sound extreme, but, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the leading cause of non-fatal and fatal injuries among adults 65 years old and older. Currently, more than 14 million seniors report falling every year — a figure the CDC estimates will skyrocket to more than 52 million by 2030.
If that doesn’t constitute a health emergency for aging Americans, I don’t know what does. Falls not only pose a threat to the safety of older people, but they also massively increase healthcare spending. Right now, senior falls cost roughly $50 billion in healthcare spending annually. Those same CDC estimates projecting a rise in falls among older Americans indicate costs will inflate to roughly $101 billion annually in the next five years.
To address the crisis of falls head-on, lawmakers need to act quickly to improve access to services, care, and support provided by our nation’s falls experts - physical and occupational therapists. As someone who’s been working in this field for 13 years, I can think of no better way to protect seniors from life-threatening falls than through the critical physical therapy services that help them identify risks; improve their balance, mobility, and flexibility; and recover more quickly in the event they do fall.
Recently introduced legislation in Congress is designed to help Medicare beneficiaries access physical and occupational therapy services to stop falls before they occur. The SAFE Act — short for “Stopping Addiction and Falls for the Elderly” — would help close a glaring gap in Medicare services, which currently do not cover falls risk assessments and prevention services by physical and occupational therapists.
By including such assessments by falls specialists as part of the Medicare annual wellness visit, the SAFE Act would help improve the health and quality of life of seniors while reducing healthcare costs by preventing unnecessary hospitalizations. Studies show that individuals who use physical therapy are 50 percent less likely to visit the emergency room or to require hospitalization in the six months after a fall. Those individuals are also nearly 40 percent less likely to use opioids following a fall, helping to address the silent but growing epidemic of opioid addiction among older Americans.
The SAFE Act is necessary to help protect seniors across the country, but it is especially important here in Missouri. Based on CDC data, Missouri has one of the higher rates of senior falls in the country. In 2020, the last year of data available, more than 31 percent of Missouri seniors reported falling, compared to the national average of around 25 percent. And, according to the Missouri State Department of Health, 740 Missourians aged 65 and older died from a fall in 2021, making falls the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among this age group.
This is a growing problem in our communities that demands a policy solution.
In rural states, like Missouri, the issue is more urgent. Older adults in rural communities tend to face higher risks of falling, and rural older adults who fall have longer wait times to get help. Further, rural areas often lack the infrastructure and delivery systems for implementing fall prevention programs.
Falls and fall-related injuries or deaths can be devastating for families as well as costly for patients and our healthcare system. The good news is that they’re also preventable. That’s why 87 percent of older Americans strongly support the SAFE Act, according to a survey by Morning Consult, and nearly 7 in 10 say they would be more likely to vote for someone who supports it as well.
Representative Jason Smith — chair of the Ways and Means Committee that oversees the Medicare program — should do what’s best for aging Missourians, their families, and their caregivers. Passing the SAFE Act would reduce healthcare spending for older Americans while keeping people healthier as they age.
Clinton Rice, DPT, OCS, CEAS is a physical therapist, board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist and certified ergonomic assessment specialist. He works at Mid America Rehab.
