Fall Prevention Nature Walk, a set of informational panels designed to promote awareness and action for injury prevention, is on display outdoors at Sewell Mill Library & Cultural Center through Wednesday, October 2.

The Fall Walk at Sewell Mill coincides with National Falls Prevention Awareness Week 2024, September 23 – 27, which is organized “to raise awareness on preventing falls, reducing the risk of falls, and helping older adults live without fear of falling,” the National Council on Aging states at ncoa.org.

An initiative of Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) Injury Prevention Program, the Fall Walk was initially inspired by walk paths featuring stories, often with pages of picture books, in community parks and outside libraries organized by Cobb County library workers. It was developed with input on its design and evidence-based messages from leading injury prevention experts of DPH, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Injury Prevention Research Center at Emory (IPRCE), Emory University School of Medicine, and Mercer University Department of Physical Therapy, Shepherd Center and others.

“Cobb libraries serve as community focal points for bringing to the public’s attention critically important information for people to act on for a better quality of life,” said Sewell Mill Branch Manager Bruce Thompson. “The Fall Walk is designed to start meaningful conversations of families and individuals to consider proven ways to reduce fall risks in their lives and to share this with their neighbors and the people they are closest to.”

The public launch of the initiative was the Fall Prevention Nature Walk in place for several days in spring 2023 in the City of Kennesaw’s Swift-Cantrell Park in partnership with Cobb County Public Library. The Fall Walk has been shared by Cobb Senior Services, the Northeast Georgia Fall Prevention Coalition and others with temporary installations in parks, public libraries, churches and other locations. DPH developed an Implementation Guide for the Fall Walk and continues to seek input from organizers of its instillations as part of planning for more Fall Walks across Georgia.

The Fall Walk at Sewell Mill is next to the library’s outside patio in a relatively dense space in comparison to installations in parks and other paths with several feet between each panel offering a walk-and-talk opportunity. Its duration is more “pop-up” than longer lasting installations at other locations. Cobb library officials said they’re confident visitors of the Sewell Mill installation will find value in choosing to experience all 24 panels together or taking in one or a few of panels at a time.

Among the Fall Walk panels, which provide information on accessing resources, are The Importance of Fall Prevention, Risk Factors, Home Safety, Outdoor Safety for Kids, Talking to a Primary Care Provider, Get a Screening and Staying Active.

Falls are costly for individuals and families as well as healthcare systems and public safety agencies. According to DPH’s OASIS data dashboard, in 2023 there were 9,100 Emergency Room visits due to falls by Cobb residents. By comparison, last year there were 5,459 ER visits by Cobb residents due to Motor Vehicle Accidents.

Fall injuries impact all ages. In 2023, children age 9 and younger account for 1,287 of the ER visits by Cobb residents.

For information on Cobb County Public Library programs and resources, visit cobbcat.org or call 770-528-2326.