On July 24, The Joint Commission (TJC) released free materials as part of its Speak Up to Prevent Falls campaign. Providers can download educational materials in English and in Spanish. Preventable patient falls happen every year, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Of those falls 30% to 50% of these falls result in an injury. That number is even higher when it comes to elderly patients, with 50-70% having a fall each year, 20% of which result in a serious injury like broken bones. The average cost of a fall is about $14,000.

“Speak Up™ to Prevent Falls outlines how to prevent falls and offers four primary areas of direction that patients, their caregivers and advocates can follow to actively prevent the risk of falls,” TJC wrote.

The four areas of direction are:

1. Pay attention to health
2. Take extra precautions
3. Make small changes to home
4. Ask for help in the hospital or nursing home.