Our Initiatives

Preventing Falls

Each year, it is estimated that about one-third of older people in B.C. experience a fall. Falls are a major cause of premature death and disability for older people. Treating falls-related injuries and complications is very costly to our health care system.  The good news is that falls are preventable. The Ministry of Health actively supports prevention through the work of the BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit (BCIRPU), the BC Falls and Injury Prevention Coalition (BCFIC), and the five regional health authorities. 

The Ministry of Health and the Public Health Agency of Canada hosted a World Health Organization (WHO) Technical Seniors’ Falls Prevention Meeting in Victoria in February 2007.This workshop brought together research and policy personnel from around the world. The resulting information has been published as the WHO Global Report on Falls Prevention in Older Age (PDF 1.0 Mb).

For more information about preventing falls:

Seniors Falls Can Be Prevented Fact Sheet for Seniors from BCIRPU and BCFIC (PDF 264 Kb)

Prevention of Falls Injuries Among the Elderly. Special report of the British Columbia Provincial Health Officer, January 2004.  (PDF 2.34 Mb)

The Evolution of Seniors’ Falls Prevention in British Columbia. 2006.  (PDF 1.3 Mb)

 

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