The Older Adult Falls Coalition, otherwise known as the Community-based EMS/Hospital Team, had their last meeting as a phone conference April 9, 2013, during a Colorado snowstorm. You can view the  April 9, 2013 meeting minutes. 
The next meeting will be a phone conference meeting on May 22 to talk about the proposed July 2013 Older Adult Fall Prevention Summit. If you are interested in joining us for that meeting, please contact Sallie Thoreson, Colorado Dept of Public Health and Environment at sallie.thoreson@state.co.us or 970-248-7161. 

Don't miss this event:

Moving for Better Balance instructor training class June 22-23. Click on Trainings tab to see details and fill out an application.

Is there a new genre of literature on "how older adults cope with fall injuries and aging? (The term "genre" is one of my new favorite words.)

I just finished reading "Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus by Joyce Magnin. The title character is forced by her son and daughter-in-law to move in with them after an older adult fall. But Harriet manages to turn this move across country into an adventure.

I'm wondering about other novels in this genre. (see!) I can think of Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach. This was also a great movie. And one of my favorites about a spunky that's-how-I-want-to-be-when-I-grow-up woman is Walking Across Egypt by Clyde Edgerton.
Does anyone have others to add to this list?

Every day older adults end up in emergency rooms due to falls. In 2010, in the US well over 2 million nonfatal fall injuries among older adult were treated in emergency departments. For more on this story, see Older adult falls result in 2.3 million emergency visits each year.

NY Times Blog: The Fear of Falling

Dr. Harley A. Rotbart, a professor and vice chairman of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, wrote an insightful and honest post for the NY Times about the "Fear of Falling." In his post he shares his father's meticulous logs of his mother's falls as she ages and their search to find ways to keep her safe.

Can vitamin D keep you on your feet?

It appears so! A recent study found that vitamin D supplements may help to reduce the risk of a fall by 17 percent. Additional recommendations included increased assessment by physicians to identify patients at risk and increased exercise by patients that includes "balance, strengthening and aerobic moves the patient likes enough to actually do regularly." Read more from the NY Times blog on aging.

The Otago Exercise Program (or Otago Exercise Programme since it was developed in New Zealand!) is an individually tailored, home-based, balance and strength fall prevention program that is delivered by a physical therapist over the course of 52 weeks. Otago has been shown to reduce falls by 35 percent among high risk individuals. It was most effective for adults 80 years of age or older, who have fallen within the last year, and who have moderate to severe decreased strength and balance. For more details on Otago, please click on the Otago Team tab.