Jinjiao Wang Contributes Expertise to National Falls Summit

Associate Professor Jinjiao Wang, PhD, RN, was an invited expert at the National Council on Aging’s National Falls Prevention Summit in Arlington, Virginia.

Joining several policymakers, clinicians, scientists, and community organizations, Wang helped advance the national conversation about how to reduce falls among older adults.

Falls present a real and growing risk to older adults’ physical and mental health, quality of life, and independence. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 4 Americans aged 65 and older falls each year. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related death among older adults, resulting in more than 3 million injuries, such as hip fractures, broken bones, and brain injuries.

Findings from the Summit will inform updates to the 10-year National Falls Prevention Action Plan, which will serve as a framework for action for fall prevention efforts across the U.S. Experts from across the country helped address gaps and identify new priorities for the Action Plan, which was last updated in 2015.

Wang, who recently received a $1.2 million National Institutes on Aging Paul B. Beeson Award to support her research on deprescribing, contributed her expertise on gerontological nursing, home-based care, geriatric syndromes, and fall management.

The Summit also served as a reminder of why advocating for the populations she serves is a crucial part of her role as an aging researcher, Wang said. 

“Falling is an issue that touches everyone and has wide-ranging consequences,” Wang said. “The Falls Summit offered a big-picture view of the importance of our work, and how it contributes to legislation that supports healthy aging.”

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