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December 24, 2002
The second statewide conference on fall prevention and older adults
will be held at the Naniloa Resort Hotel in Hilo, Hawaii on January 16 and 17, 2003. Co-sponsors of the
conference are the Hawaii State Department of Health’s Injury
Prevention & Control program, the Executive Office of Aging, HMSA
and the Home Safety Monitoring Program of Hawaii Island Adult Care,
Inc.
The conference signals Hawaii’s commitment to address one of
the most serious but preventable health problems for older adults.
About 1/3 of all seniors, 65 and older, fall annually and the
proportion increases with age and frailty. The CDC reports that falls
are the leading cause of injury deaths among persons 65 and older and
the sixth leading cause of death from all sources.
Researchers report that 85% of falls can be prevented with a greater
understanding of their causes. This conference is a major step in
statewide education efforts for fall prevention for consumers and for
those who care for them ¯ from informal caregivers to
paraprofessionals to professionals.
On Thursday Morning, January 16,
2003, presentations will be directed primarily to consumers on
the causes of falls, how to fall and reduce injuries, exercises to help
prevent falls, services available, and other things one can do to
prevent falling. Thursday afternoon, January
16, 2003, Sarah Olson from Injury Prevention, U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta will offer a special workshop
for professionals on translating fall prevention research theories into
actual practice in real settings.
Friday, January 17, 2003, will
focus on topics of interest to everyone from consumers to
paraprofessionals to professionals. They will include: why some people
fall and others do not; data on fallers in Hawaii; talking to older
parents about fall prevention; consumer protection to prevent falls in
long-term care institutions; falls in multi-cultural groups; home
modifications; institutional modifications; overcoming the fear of
falling; physical activity when you are afraid of falling; dementia and
falls; promoting self-care to prevent falls; and, given the challenges
of aging, what we can appreciate about growing older.
The conference will feature distinguished speakers from around the
state representing medicine, social work, allied health, fitness and
other services for seniors. In addition, keynote speakers, Sarah Olson,
will talk about environmental causes for falls and Dr. Laurence
Rubenstein, Director of Geriatric Research at UCLA in California, will
discuss causes related directly to the health status of older
adults.
The registration fee for either the Thursday morning or afternoon
sessions is $20 for each session. Friday registration fee is $55 and
includes lunch. There is no half-day rate for Friday. REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS JANUARY 6, 2003. For
registration or questions, contact Tanya Fusco Johnson, Home Safety
Monitoring at 808-961-9002 in
Hilo.
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