This September, during National Falls Prevention Awareness Month and Week (Sept. 21-25, 2026), physicians and other health care team members are encouraged to raise awareness about preventing falls, reducing the risk of falls, and healthy aging. While falls can affect individuals of all ages and may happen at any time, they are a leading cause of injury among older adults.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls lead to nearly half of TBI-related hospitalizations. And, the Michigan Falls Prevention Coalition reports the following 2021 data related to Michigan residents:
- 1,367 older adults (86 per 100,000 older adults) died from a fall injury
- 17,813 fall-related hospitalizations
- 72,115 fall-related emergency department visits among older adults where they were treated and released
Fortunately, with the right education, resources, and simple steps at home, many falls can be prevented.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan created a Fall Prevention Toolkit to help support the important work done by medical practices and make it easier to share practical fall prevention information. The toolkit is designed to be simple and ready to use, with shareable social media content, helpful resources, and home safety checklists that can be easily shared.
Supportive materials are also available from the following organizations:
- Brain Injury Association of America
- CDC: STEADI – Older Adult Fall Prevention
- Michigan Falls Prevention Coalition
- National Coalition on Aging
- Priority Health
Take advantage of these resources to raise awareness about falls prevention and start conversations about safety, independence, and healthy aging in all communities.