Keeping Seniors Safe From Falls Act of 2006

Bill: 109-hr-5608
Sponsor: Rep. Hall, Ralph M. [R-TX-4]
Introduced: 2006-06-14 in the House
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Accident prevention
Apartment houses
Architecture and the disabled
Caregivers
Case management
Commerce
Congressional reporting requirements
Continuum of care
Cost accounting
Cost control
Disabled
Drugs
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Exercise
Federal aid to research
Federal aid to the aged
Finance and Financial Sector
Geriatrics
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Governmental investigations
Health
Health education
Home repair and improvement
Housing and Community Development
Housing for the aged
Human behavior
Life care communities
Medical economics
Medical research
Medical screening
Medical statistics
Medicare
Nursing homes
Preventive medicine
Public-private partnerships
Quality of life
Rehabilitation of the disabled
Research grants
Risk
Science, Technology, Communications
Sports and Recreation
Technological innovations

Summary:
action_date: 2006-06-14
text: 
Keeping Seniors Safe From Falls Act of 2006 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) oversee and support national education campaigns focusing on reducing falls among older adults, on preventing repeat falls, and on educating health professionals about falls risk, assessment, and prevention; and (2) award grants for local and state education campaigns.
 
Directs the Secretary to conduct and support research to: (1) improve the identification of older adults who have a high risk of falling; (2) improve data collection and analysis to identify fall risk and protective factors; (3) design, implement, and evaluate the most effective fall prevention and medication management interventions; (4) tailor strategies to reduce falls to specific populations of older adults; (5) maximize the dissemination of proven, effective fall prevention interventions; (6) improve the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of elderly fall victims; and (7) assess the risks of falls occurring in various settings.
 
Requires the Secretary to: (1) conduct research concerning barriers to the adoption of proven interventions, approaches to reduce falls among high-risk older adults living in long-term care facilities, and strategies in home modifications; (2) evaluate the effectiveness of community programs; (3) provide for a website to serve as an information clearinghouse; (4) oversee and support demonstration projects designed to reduce the risk of falls in frail older adults emphasizing projects that foster collaboration between health care providers and the aging services network or residential and institutional settings; and (5) report to Congress on the effects of falls on health care costs, the potential for reducing falls, and the most effective strategies for reducing associated health care costs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-06-23
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2006-06-14
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2006-06-14
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2006-06-14
text: Introduced in House