[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1217 Referred in House (RFH)]
2d Session
S. 1217
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
November 19, 2004
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to intensify
programs with respect to research and related activities concerning
falls among older adults.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Keeping Seniors Safe From Falls Act
of 2004''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths among
individuals who are over 65 years of age.
(2) In 2000, falls among older adults accounted for 10,200
deaths and 1,600,000 emergency department visits.
(3) Hospital admissions for hip fractures among the elderly
have increased from 231,000 admissions in 1988 to 332,000 in
1999.
(4) Annually, more than 64,000 individuals who are over 65
years of age sustain a traumatic brain injury as a result of a
fall.
(5) The total cost of all fall injuries for people age 65
and older was calculated in 1994 to be $27,300,000,000 (in 2004
dollars).
(6) A national approach to reducing falls among older
adults, which focuses on the daily life of senior citizens in
residential, institutional, and community settings, is needed.
SEC. 3. AMENDMENTS TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT.
Part J of title III of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C.
280b et seq.) is amended--
(1) by redesignating section 393B (as added by section 1401
of Public Law 106-386) as section 393C and transferring such
section so that it appears after section 393B (as added by
section 1301 of Public Law 106-310); and
(2) by inserting after section 393C (as redesignated by
paragraph (1)) the following:
``SEC. 393D. PREVENTION OF FALLS AMONG OLDER ADULTS.
``(a) Purposes.--The purposes of this section are--
``(1) to develop effective public education strategies in a
national initiative to reduce falls among older adults in order
to educate older adults, family members, employers, caregivers,
and others;
``(2) to intensify services and conduct research to
determine the most effective approaches to preventing and
treating falls among older adults; and
``(3) to require the Secretary to evaluate the effect of
falls on health care costs, the potential for reducing falls,
and the most effective strategies for reducing health care
costs associated with falls.
``(b) Public Education.--The Secretary shall--
``(1) oversee and support a national education campaign to
be carried out by a nonprofit organization with experience in
designing and implementing national injury prevention programs,
that is directed principally to older adults, their families,
and health care providers, and that focuses on reducing falls
among older adults and preventing repeat falls; and
``(2) award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to
qualified organizations, institutions, or consortia of
qualified organizations and institutions, for the purpose of
organizing State-level coalitions of appropriate State and
local agencies, safety, health, senior citizen, and other
organizations to design and carry out local education
campaigns, focusing on reducing falls among older adults and
preventing repeat falls.
``(c) Research.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall--
``(A) conduct and support research to--
``(i) improve the identification of older
adults who have a high risk of falling;
``(ii) improve data collection and analysis
to identify fall risk and protective factors;
``(iii) design, implement, and evaluate the
most effective fall prevention interventions;
``(iv) improve strategies that are proven
to be effective in reducing falls by tailoring
these strategies to specific populations of
older adults;
``(v) conduct research in order to maximize
the dissemination of proven, effective fall
prevention interventions;
``(vi) intensify proven interventions to
prevent falls among older adults;
``(vii) improve the diagnosis, treatment,
and rehabilitation of elderly fall victims; and
``(viii) assess the risk of falls occurring
in various settings;
``(B) conduct research concerning barriers to the
adoption of proven interventions with respect to the
prevention of falls among older adults;
``(C) conduct research to develop, implement, and
evaluate the most effective approaches to reducing
falls among high-risk older adults living in long-term
care facilities; and
``(D) evaluate the effectiveness of community
programs to prevent assisted living and nursing home
falls among older adults.
``(2) Educational support.--The Secretary, either directly
or through awarding grants, contracts, or cooperative
agreements to qualified organizations, institutions, or
consortia of qualified organizations and institutions, shall
provide professional education for physicians and allied health
professionals in fall prevention.
``(d) Demonstration Projects.--The Secretary shall carry out the
following:
``(1) Oversee and support demonstration and research
projects to be carried out by qualified organizations,
institutions, or consortia of qualified organizations and
institutions, in the following areas:
``(A) A multistate demonstration project assessing
the utility of targeted fall risk screening and
referral programs.
``(B) Programs designed for community-dwelling
older adults that utilize multicomponent fall
intervention approaches, including physical activity,
medication assessment and reduction when possible,
vision enhancement, and home modification strategies.
``(C) Programs that are targeted to newly
discharged fall victims who are at a high risk for
second falls and which are designed to maximize
independence and quality of life for older adults,
particularly those older adults with functional
limitations.
``(D) Private sector and public-private
partnerships to develop technology to prevent falls
among older adults and prevent or reduce injuries if
falls occur.
``(2)(A) Award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements
to qualified organizations, institutions, or consortia of
qualified organizations and institutions, to design, implement,
and evaluate fall prevention programs using proven intervention
strategies in residential and institutional settings.
``(B) Award 1 or more grants, contracts, or cooperative
agreements to 1 or more qualified organizations, institutions,
or consortia of qualified organizations and institutions, in
order to carry out a multistate demonstration project to
implement and evaluate fall prevention programs using proven
intervention strategies designed for multifamily residential
settings with high concentrations of older adults, including--
``(i) identifying high-risk populations;
``(ii) evaluating residential facilities;
``(iii) conducting screening to identify high-risk
individuals;
``(iv) providing pre-fall counseling;
``(v) coordinating services with health care and
social service providers; and
``(vi) coordinating post-fall treatment and
rehabilitation.
``(3) Award 1 or more grants, contracts, or cooperative
agreements to qualified organizations, institutions, or
consortia of qualified organizations and institutions, to
conduct evaluations of the effectiveness of the demonstration
projects described in this subsection.
``(e) Study of Effects of Falls on Health Care Costs.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct a review of
the effects of falls on health care costs, the potential for
reducing falls, and the most effective strategies for reducing
health care costs associated with falls.
``(2) Report.--Not later than 36 months after the date of
enactment of the Keeping Seniors Safe From Falls Act of 2004,
the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing the
findings of the Secretary in conducting the review under
paragraph (1).''.
Passed the Senate November 18, 2004.
Attest:
EMILY J. REYNOLDS,
Secretary.