Office of Injury Prevention

Upcoming Training Opportunities

To view future training opportunities, please see the Calendar of Events page.

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Falls Prevention for Florida’s Seniors (2008)

Senior falls is one of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) top injury prevention focus areas. Falls is the leading cause of hospitalizations and death for Florida residents age 65 and over. On June 24, 2008 in Tampa, the Department of Health, Office of Injury Prevention and the Agency for Elder Affairs, Community for a Lifetime Bureau co-hosted a one-day seminar “Falls Prevention for Florida’s Seniors.” Attendees included falls prevention and injury prevention stakeholders, county health department injury prevention liaisons, local falls prevention coalition members, and representatives from the eleven Area Agency on Aging, Inc.

Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.

For more information on the Falls Prevention for Florida’s Seniors seminar, please contact the Office of Injury Prevention or call (850)245-4440.

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Overview of Falls Prevention for Older Adults (2009)

On September 22, 2009, the Office of Injury Prevention within the Department of Health and the Communities of a Lifetime Initiative within the Bureau of Elder Rights, Department of Elder Affairs co-sponsored an educational program for people who want to know more about senior falls prevention. This program aired on National Falls Prevention Awareness Day. The program was a live satellite broadcast and a webcast.

• Broadcast Agenda
• Broadcast PowerPoint
• Broadcast PowerPoint Text Equivalent

Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.

For more information on the Overview of Falls Prevention for Older Adults web cast and satellite broadcast or to request a copy of the broadcast, contact the Office of Injury Prevention or call (850)245-4440.

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Senior Falls Prevention Broadcast for Health Professionals (2010)

The 2010 Senior Falls Prevention Broadcast took place on September 22, 2010 from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM, EST. The program was done in partnership with the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. Lisa VanderWerf-Hourigan, Director of the Office of Injury Prevention under the Florida Department of Health was the moderator. The purpose of the program was to provide Health Professionals, dealing with adults over the age of 60, with quality information on balance assessment and falls prevention.

Interim Secretary of the Department of Elder Affairs, Charles Corley, discussed the burden and magnitude of the elderly falls problem, as it related to the state of Florida. Dr. Charles Maitland, a neuro-ophthalmologist, demonstrated important assessment tools and skills health professionals can use to assess a seniors risk of falling. Larry Baxter, Elder Rights Bureau Chief of the Department of Elder Affairs provided information on Medicare reimbursements. Sylvia Young, an Occupational Therapist with Tallahassee Memorial Hospital’s Rehabilitation Center presented fall facts and prevention methods, including a home safety checklist, to reduce the likelihood of falls. Finally, Dr. Mark Brimer Area Director of Rehabilitation for Gentiva Health Services, Inc, covered Florida’s Statewide Falls Prevention Coalition and provided further information on how to start a local falls coalition within a community.

Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.

This broadcast offered 1.5 CEU’s to all Florida nurses. If you are a nurse, took part in this broadcast, and would like to receive CEU credit, please contact the Office of Injury Prevention or call (850)245-4440.

Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.

For a copy of the PowerPoint’s used, or a DVD of the presentation, please contact the Office of Injury Prevention or call (850)245-4440.

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Senior Falls Prevention Broadcast for Health Professionals (2011)

The 2011 Senior Falls Prevention Broadcast took place on September 23, 2011 from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM, EDT. The program was done in partnership with the Florida Department of Health and the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. Andrea Gary, a representative of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs was the moderator. The purpose of the program was to provide health professionals, dealing with adults over the age of 60, with quality information on:

• The magnitude of the senior falls problem in Florida;
• How to perform a risk assessment for senior falls;
• Office-based screening techniques for high-risk falls;
• The effects of traumatic brain injuries; and
• Why physicians should recommend Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance as a fall prevention intervention.

Interim Secretary of the Department of Elder Affairs, Charles Corley, discussed the burden and magnitude of the elderly falls problem, as it related to the state of Florida. Dr. Charles Maitland, a neuro-ophthalmologist, provided additional risk assessment tools and skills that health professionals can use to assess a seniors risk of falling. Dr. Alice Pomidor, Professor of Geriatrics at Florida State University, discussed practical strategies and interventions for falls in the ambulatory geriatric population that can be implemented in an office-based setting. Valerie Breen, Executive Director of the Brain Injury Association of Florida, discussed the effects of traumatic brain injuries and the resources available in Florida. Dr. Patricia Sovonick, a consultant for Community Aging and Retirement Services of Pasco County, discussed using Tai Chi: Moving for Better Balance as a community-based intervention for senior falls prevention.

Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.

This broadcast offered 1.5 CEU’s to all Florida nurses and 1.5 CME’s for all Florida Physicians. If you are a nurse or a physician, took part in this broadcast, and would like to receive CEU or CME credit, please contact the Office of Injury Prevention or call (850)245-4440.

Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this office by phone or in writing.

For a copy of the PowerPoint’s used, or a DVD of the presentation, please contact the Office of Injury Prevention or call (850)245-4440.

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