Nathan Deal: “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…”

“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.”