2020
Abstract:
The ageing population is increasing the financial strain on the United States health care
system, and society may be underinvesting in the place-based determinants of elderly health. The
leading cause of injury for older Americans is falls in the home, resulting in more deaths than any
other injury, as well as a significant portion of Medicare spending. While medical interventions
have yielded mixed results, home safety renovations have been shown to be a cost-effective
strategy to enable senior citizens to “age in place” safely, with the health care savings outweighing
the upfront investment. Conservative projections demonstrate that Medicare can undertake this
investment in home safety renovations with less than 2 percent of its budget, while breaking down
the silos that unnecessarily encircle health and housing.
