Archstone Foundation began its work in fall prevention in the mid-1990s when it supported six projects, all of which included a reduction of falls in their intended outcomes. Some of these projects addressed the physical environment, others addressed balance and mobility, and all addressed education on risk reduction. In 2000, the Foundation convened the six project teams to explore common resources and needs, to advance fall prevention efforts in the State. As a result of this convening the group came together again, along with an expanded planning committee of 40 leaders from around the State, to plan a statewide invitational summit to develop a blueprint to reduce the risk of falls in California.
In February 2003, the Foundation convened over 150 leaders in academic, legislative, community-based services, consumer advocates, aging network, housing, public health, public safety, and other leaders who worked for two days on a statewide blueprint on fall prevention. In preparation for the convening, a Preconference White Paper was created and used to build the blueprint. The California Blueprint describes state-of-the-art approaches to reducing the risks of falls, and the challenges to implementing fall prevention in California. One of the top recommendations from this blueprint was the creation of a coordination center that could serve as a statewide resource and lead efforts in fall prevention. This recommendation eventually led to the creation of the Fall Prevention Center of Excellence (FPCE).
In December 2004, Archstone Foundation funded the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to lead the Falls Free Summit, which resulted in the development of a Fall Prevention National Action Plan and the Research Review Papers, commissioned in support of NCOA’s Falls Free® Initiative.
