The N.C. Falls Prevention Coalition Action Plan is designed to reduce the number of injuries and deaths due to falls among older adults and adults at risk for falling in North Carolina over the next five years.
Since 2008, the N.C. Falls Prevention Coalition has brought together diverse stakeholders to focus on the public health issue of falls. The 3-year Action Plan includes input from over 40 partners from across the state and all 180 coalition members were invited to contribute. It is a living document and will be updated regularly as we make progress collectively on each objective and action step.
STRATEGIC GOAL 1 - Enhance opportunities for collaboration & networking among falls prevention partners.
STRATEGIC GOAL 2 - Reduce fall risk through promoting implementation of best practices in clinical and community settings.
STRATEGIC GOAL 3 - Increase public awareness and support advocacy for statewide falls prevention policies and systems.
Goals, Objectives & Action Steps
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OBJECTIVE 1A – By the end of 2027, enhance coordination between state and regional coalitions through consistent communication, shared priorities, and aligned efforts, and maintain through 2029.
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OBJECTIVE 1B – By the end of 2029, expand partnerships across clinical, community-based, and non-traditional sectors to incorporate them into falls prevention activities at the regional and state level.
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OBJECTIVE 1C – By the end of 2028, ensure all 100 counties are connected to a regional coalition and demonstrate consistent engagement.
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OBJECTIVE 2A – By the end of 2028, increase knowledge of falls prevention best practices among health care providers across the continuum of care.
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OBJECTIVE 2B – By the end of 2029, promote resources and training for falls prevention and fall risk screenings in community-based and clinical settings serving older adults.
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OBJECTIVE 2C – By the end of 2029, improve coordination among community-based organizations and clinical programs implementing interventions to reduce falls.
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OBJECTIVE 3A – By the end of 2029, expand the reach of falls prevention awareness resources at the state, local, and regional level by ensuring consistent messaging, implementing new awareness approaches, and engaging new partners.
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OBJECTIVE 3B – By the end of 2029, collaborate with multi-sector partners to advance falls prevention policies, systems, and environmental changes to reduce falls risk.
Guiding Principles
Utilize a Shared Risk and Protective Factors (SRPFs) Framework
This action plan builds upon previous work done in the 2021-2025 NCFPC Action Plan which focused on educating both the public and health care providers on how a shared risk and protective factors framework could help to reduce injuries and deaths from falls in addition to reducing the risk of other conditions that impact older adults.
The SRPFs framework is an approach that shifts the focus from the health outcomes that need to be prevented to more upstream (i.e., root cause) factors that contribute to those outcomes. Please see The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance document that introduced this framework in the context of violence prevention. While an equivalent guide for falls prevention has not yet been developed, the core principles of the framework can still be applied.
- Risk Factors: A set of behaviors and/or conditions associated with a greater likelihood of falls.
- Protective Factors: A set of behaviors and/or conditions that may reduce or buffer against the risk of falls.
- Shared Risk and Protective Factors: Different types of health outcomes are connected and often share the same root causes, risk factors and protective factors. They can all take place under one roof, in the same community or neighborhood, at the same time, or at different stages of life. Understanding the overlapping risk factors for falls and other diseases, illnesses, and conditions affecting older adults and the factors that can protect people and communities can help us better prevent falls and these other outcomes simultaneously.
NCFPC leaders, subject matter experts (SME), and industry consultants completed a literature review and SME interviews to understand SRPFs for falls and other diverse health conditions. The literature review identified risk and protective factors associated with falls and numerous other older adult conditions, such as chronic diseases, disabilities, mental/behavioral health, and movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Initial results of the process showed joint agreement to begin working among SRPFs for falls and chronic diseases with future plans to expand into other health outcomes. For more information: Chronic Conditions and Prevention – NC Falls Prevention Coalition.
Implementation and Evaluation
Members of the action plan workgroup, some of whom are leaders of NCFPC regional coalitions or members of the NCFPC Steering Committee, will act as stewards in implementation of the 2026-2029 Action Plan. They will work with NCFPC leadership to ensure that action steps are being addressed in the specified time frames and that appropriate outcome measures are being tracked across the three-year period.
Outcome measures will be reviewed semi-annually to identify pivots and adaptations that are needed and to identify how well the plan is being implemented. The action plan workgroup in partnership with coalition co-chairs will use an annual checklist of the plan’s action steps and ensure that all work is consistent with the coalition’s shared values. The Action Plan will be disseminated on NCFPC website as an interactive and evolving document that can be updated annually or as needed.
The action plan includes Goals, Objectives and Action Steps as identified by the action plan work groups. Action Steps were organized into the following categories: Tier 1- High Priority/Immediate Implementation and Tier 2- Secondary Phase/Additional Funding Dependent.