Fall prevention (not the season – I love fall!) needs to be stepped up. In fact, the long-term care arena and smart administrators should adopt fall prevention as a strategic cause. Here is more reasons why.

Three in 10 elderly patients who sought care in an emergency room after a fall were admitted to the hospital for treatment of their injuries, a major share of the $20 billion cost for treating falls in people over age 65 in 2006.

Since 2006, fall-related health costs are believed to have increased substantially because of a larger number of seniors suffering falls, and because of the higher costs of treating the fractures, open wounds, and head traumas they cause.

Those were two findings from a new report from the federal Agency for Health Research and Quality, which said that each year, about one-third of elderly adults experiences a fall. Falls are the most common cause of non-fatal injuries in the senior population.

The industry needs to step up and become active in showing seniors how to prevent falls at home and elsewhere, perhaps partnering with architects to show caregivers how to protect mom and dad’s home. It is actually good business sense. Keep people healthier and in a better quality of life for more years and should the time come they need the extra help of an assisted or nursing facility they will think of the people who contributed to their extended good health.

Come on people!