[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 8, 2008)]
[House]
[Pages H2034-H2036]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SAFETY OF SENIORS ACT OF 2007
Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
Senate bill (S. 845) to direct the Secretary of Health and Human
Services to expand and intensify programs with respect to research and
related activities concerning elder falls.
The Clerk read the title of the Senate bill.
The text of the Senate bill is as follows:
S. 845
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 ``Safety of Seniors Act of
2007''.
SEC. 2. 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) Public Education.--The Secretary may--
``(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
[[Page H2035]]
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, specializing, or
demonstrating expertise, in falls or fall prevention, 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.
``(b) Research.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may--
``(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 older adults at
high risk for falls; 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 communities and long-term care
and assisted living facilities; and
``(D) evaluate the effectiveness of community programs
designed to prevent 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,
specializing, or demonstrating expertise, in falls or fall
prevention, may provide professional education for physicians
and allied health professionals, and aging service providers
in fall prevention, evaluation, and management.
``(c) Demonstration Projects.--The Secretary may 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, specializing, or demonstrating expertise, in
falls or fall prevention, 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 new 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 technologies 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, specializing, or
demonstrating expertise, in falls or fall prevention, 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, specializing, or demonstrating expertise, in
falls or fall prevention, in order to carry out a multistate
demonstration project to implement and evaluate fall
prevention programs using proven intervention strategies
designed for single and 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 fall assessment and risk reduction
interventions and 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,
specializing, or demonstrating expertise, in falls or fall
prevention, to conduct evaluations of the effectiveness of
the demonstration projects described in this subsection.
``(d) Priority.--In awarding grants, contracts, or
cooperative agreements under this section, the Secretary may
give priority to entities that explore the use of cost-
sharing with respect to activities funded under the grant,
contract, or agreement to ensure the institutional commitment
of the recipients of such assistance to the projects funded
under the grant, contract, or agreement. Such non-Federal
cost sharing contributions may be provided directly or
through donations from public or private entities and may be
in cash or in-kind, fairly evaluated, including plant,
equipment, or services.
``(e) Study of Effects of Falls on Health Care Costs.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary may 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.--If the Secretary conducts the review under
paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, not later than 36 months
after the date of enactment of the Safety of Seniors Act of
2007, submit to Congress a report describing the findings of
the Secretary in conducting such review.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from
California (Mrs. Capps) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Deal) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from California.
General Leave
Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the Senate bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from California?
There was no objection.
Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of Senate bill 845, the
Safety of Seniors Act.
Falls represent a serious health risk for millions of older
Americans. In the United States, one of every three persons age 65 or
older falls each year. Falls are the leading cause of injury deaths and
the most common cause of injuries and hospital admissions for trauma in
older adults.
Senate bill 845 seeks to address the growing problem of falling and
fall-related injuries among older adults. This legislation would direct
the Department of Health and Human Services to oversee and support
national and local education campaigns focused on reducing falls and
preventing repeated falls among older adults. It is important to note
that the House Committee on Energy and Commerce held a markup of the
House companion legislation H.R. 3701, the Keeping Seniors Safe From
Falls Act, which was introduced by Health Subcommittee Chairman Frank
Pallone. The committee amended H.R. 3701 to ensure that it was
identical to Senate bill 845, which has already passed the Senate by
unanimous consent. So I want to commend my good friend Frank Pallone
for his hard work and commitment on this important piece of
legislation.
I urge my colleagues to support Senate bill 845.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Madam Speaker, my wife and I had the opportunity to take care of my
mother and her parents in their later years for a period of about 8\1/
2\ years prior to their passage some 1\1/2\ years ago. We were always
aware of the danger that was posed by falls, and certainly falls are
one of the main causes of injuries and hospital admissions for senior
adults.
S. 845, the Safety of Seniors Act of 2008, tries to address this
danger by focusing attention on preventing falls among senior citizens
and conducting research to evaluate the cause of falls among our older
adults. The legislation provides the Secretary with discretion to
implement a national education campaign, and, also, it gives him
authority to evaluate the effectiveness of community programs designed
to prevent falls. It also gives the Secretary the ability to create
demonstration projects focused on evaluating and preventing falls in
senior citizens.
I urge the adoption of this bill.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I
support the passage of Senate bill 845, which seeks to address the
growing problem of falls and fall-related injuries among older adults.
[[Page H2036]]
Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, many of us have elder parents,
relatives, neighbors or colleagues who have experienced an unnecessary
fall. Recently, Nancy Reagan and Senator Robert Byrd have both suffered
from falls that have caused them to be hospitalized.
Falls among elderly Americans in fact are so commonplace that one in
three Americans over the age of 65 each year experiences a debilitating
fall. As a result, it is the leading cause of injury-related deaths for
older Americans.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, estimates that
fall-related medical expenses cost Americans more than $20 billion
annually. Projections are that those expenses will climb to more than
$40 billion over the next 15 years, posing additional burdens on
already strapped Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Effective demonstration tests and comprehensive public information
and education campaigns can help reduce and mitigate these avoidable
and frequently disabling injuries.
To that end, I introduced H.R. 3701, the ``Keeping Seniors Safe from
Falls Act of 2007'' with my good friend Representative Ralph Hall,
which is the House companion to S. 845, the bill we are debating today.
If enacted, this legislation would launch a comprehensive preventive
care program and educational campaign to reduce the number and severity
of falls to the elderly.
In closing I want to acknowledge all the hard work that went into
this bill, including the work of my colleagues both here in the House
and the Senate, as well as the Falls Free Coalition working group,
which has been advocating for this legislation for sometime.
Madam Speaker, falls among the elderly are clearly an issue that
affect and potentially imperil us all. This legislation offers a
national approach to reducing these tragic events I urge my colleagues
on both sides of the aisle to support this important bill.
Mrs. CAPPS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Capps) that the House suspend the
rules and pass the Senate bill, S. 845.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the Senate bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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