State seeks help preventing falls that killed 74 older Alaskans in 2025

The Alaska Division of Public Health is inviting Alaskans to join a free statewide group working to prevent falls, which led to 74 deaths among Alaskans 65 and older in 2025.

Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries among Alaskans 65 and older, and one in three of them falls each year, according to Gov. Mike Dunleavy's September proclamation for Falls Prevention Awareness Week. In 2025, falls among older Alaskans also led to 906 hospitalizations and 5,779 emergency room visits, it says. The number of Alaskans 65 and older grew from 54,938 in 2010 to 107,444 in 2024.

Falls are expensive, too. Across all ages, Alaskans had 19,491 inpatient and outpatient visits for falls in 2024, with more than $276 million in facility charges, according to the Alaska Commission on Aging's Senior Snapshot. Medicare was the main payer for about half of that and Medicaid for about a fifth. Nearly half of those hospitalized for a fall needed home health care or care at another facility afterward.

The group, the Alaska Falls Prevention Community of Practice, meets online every other month. It's organized by the division's Injury Prevention and Surveillance Unit, with support from the Mat-Su Council on Aging, the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and the Fairbanks Senior Center.

Members share resources like the Alaska Falls Prevention Toolkit and learn from communities using programs such as tai chi and Bingocize, which pairs bingo with exercise. They can also get help bringing evidence-based fall prevention and home modification programs to their own communities.

Membership is open to anyone, including people who have fallen or are at risk, caregivers, tribal health organizations, first responders and senior centers.

The state received an 18-month National Council on Aging grant in April 2025 to set up a falls prevention coalition, which first met that September, according to the Senior Snapshot.