As the leading cause of injury for adults 65 and older, fall prevention practices are a top priority for physical therapists across the country. Falls are expensive and painful but also debilitating and can even lead to death. If we do not provide proper preventative care for our older populations, the number of both fatal and nonfatal falls is set to climb as a higher percent of our population reaching 65+.
Thankfully, these incidents are preventable, and with the introduction of the bipartisan Stopping Addiction and Falls for the Elderly (SAFE) Act (H.R. 1171), I am hopeful that we will be able to overcome the frightening statistic that around 29% of NC seniors fall annually. This vital legislation would allow Medicare beneficiaries to receive a falls risk assessment from a physical or occupational therapist—the falls experts—as part of their annual wellness benefit at no cost to the patient. Physical therapy is a proven approach for falls intervention, pain reduction, and improved quality of life for older Americans.
My team and I are incredibly thankful to Senator Thom Tillis for sending his staff to visit BenchMark Physical Therapy in Charlotte and learn more about how physical and occupational therapists are working to improve seniors’ strength, balance, and safety. My colleagues and I strongly urge Senator Tillis and his colleagues in Washington to support the SAFE Act to help protect older North Carolinians from deadly, preventable falls.
Benjamin Linz PT, DPT, CHT, COMT, OCS
Regional Director, BenchMark Physical Therapy – Charlotte