Keeping Seniors Safe from Falls and Reauthorization of the Traumatic Brain Injury Act

Bill: 109-s-1531
Sponsor: Sen. Enzi, Michael B. [R-WY]
Introduced: 2005-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Accident prevention
Architecture and the disabled
Caregivers
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Continuum of care
Disabled
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Federal aid to research
Federal aid to the aged
Geriatrics
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Governmental investigations
Health
Health counseling
Home repair and improvement
Housing and Community Development
Housing for the aged
Life care communities
Medical economics
Medical research
Medical screening
Medical statistics
Medicare
Preventive medicine
Rehabilitation of the disabled
Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: 
Keeping Seniors Safe From Falls Act of 2005 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) oversee and support a national education campaign focusing on reducing falls among older adults and preventing repeat falls; and (2) award grants to design and carry out local 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 interventions; (4) tailor effective 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 and develop, implement, and evaluate the most effective approaches to reduce falls among high-risk older adults living in long-term care facilities; (2) evaluate the effectiveness of community programs; (3) provide professional education for physicians and allied health professionals in fall prevention; (4) oversee and support specified demonstration and research projects; (5) award grants to design, implement, and evaluate fall prevention programs using proven intervention strategies and carry out a multistate demonstration project; and (6) 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.

action_date: 2006-12-05
text: 
Keeping Seniors Safe from Falls and Reauthorization of the Traumatic Brain Injury Act - (Sec. 3) Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the national program for traumatic brain injury registries to include grants for a traumatic brain injury surveillance system.
 
(Sec. 4) Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), to conduct a study to: (1) determine the incidence and prevalence of traumatic brain injury; (2) report national trends in traumatic brain injury; (3) identify common therapeutic interventions used for the rehabilitation of individuals with such injuries; and (4) develop practice guidelines for such rehabilitation. Sets forth reporting requirements.
 
(Sec. 5) Authorizes appropriations for FY2007-FY2010 for a program to conduct basic and clinical research on trauma, including research on traumatic brain injury.
 
(Sec. 6) Allows the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA), to make grants to states and American Indian consortia to improve access to rehabilitation and other services regarding traumatic brain injury.
 
Requires the Administrator and the Commissioner of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities to enter into an agreement to coordinate the collection of data regarding protection and advocacy services. Directs the Administrator to make a grant for training and technical assistance to protection and advocacy systems, if funds permit.
 
(Sec. 7) Requires the Secretary to: (1) oversee and support a national education campaign focusing on reducing falls among older adults and preventing repeat falls; and (2) award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to design and carry out local 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 interventions; (4) tailor effective 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 fall prevention interventions; (2) conduct research on the most effective approaches to reduce falls among high-risk older adults; (3) evaluate the effectiveness of community programs; (3) provide professional education for physicians, allied health professionals, and aging service providers in fall prevention; (4) oversee and support specified demonstration and research projects; (5) award grants to design, implement, and evaluate fall prevention programs using proven intervention strategies and carry out a multistate demonstration project; and (6) 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.
 
(Sec. 8) Authorizes appropriations.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-12-05
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 667.
action_date: 2006-12-05
text: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Enzi with an amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to the title. With written report No. 109-362.
action_date: 2006-12-05
text: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Enzi with an amendment in the nature of a substitute and an amendment to the title. With written report No. 109-362.
action_date: 2006-09-20
text: Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9295-9296)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9294-9295)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate