Prevention of Unintentional Injuries Among Seniors

Workshop on Healthy Aging:
November 28-30, 2001

B. Support for Action

Partners for Action

Current federal government interventions and strategies

While there is currently no comprehensive federal approach to the prevention of unintentional injuries, the federal government has undertaken activities in several areas related to injury prevention:

• contributions for community-based projects through the Population Health Fund (e.g. the University of Victoria's Adult Injury Management Network)

• promotion and public education of safe behaviours and environments (The Safe Living Guide, Bruno and Alice and Fitness Guide for Seniors)

• surveillance and epidemiological analysis of injuries (e.g. the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program [CHIRPP], which collects detailed information on the circumstances of injuries treated at the emergency departments of 10 pediatric and six general hospitals across Canada)

• legislation and regulations (e.g. hazardous products).

Injury prevention activities take place all across the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada, in particular in the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch, the Inuit and First Nations Branch and the Health Products and Food Branch.

Other federal departments that currently work in the area of injury prevention or that have an interest in this area include:

• Veterans Affairs Canada
• Industry Canada
• Transport Canada
• Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
• Human Resources Development Canada
• Statistics Canada
• Indian and Northern Affairs Canada
• Canadian Heritage
• National Research Council.

Provincial and territorial governments

Many of the provinces and territories have identified injury as a serious health issue and are engaged in a number of ways: funding programs, research and data collection; establishing injury prevention mandates within health boards and public health departments; undertaking activities within their own ministries (e.g. the ministries of transportation and health); and participation in federal, provincial and territorial committees.

Municipal governments

Public health departments and boards of health are actively involved in injury prevention activities that range from producing public education materials to operating programs, supporting research, coordinating community coalitions and providing input into policy decisions.

Examples of non-governmental stakeholders

Non-governmental groups involved in injury prevention include:

National organizations: Smartrisk, Canada Safety Council, Canada Standards Association International, Canadian Institute for Health Information, Canadian Injury Research Network, Canadian Red Cross Society.

Provincial and regional organizations: Alberta Centre for Injury Prevention and Control; Edmonton Capital Health Region, Population Health; the University of Victoria School of Nursing; British Columbia Injury Research and Prevention Unit; Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Community Services for Seniors; Saskatoon District Health, Public Health Services; University of Ottawa Community Health Research Unit; York Region Health Services Department; Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Falls Prevention Coalition; Thunder Bay District Health Unit; Centre for Studies in Aging, Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre; Montreal Regional Public Health Department PIED Program; Public Health Department for the Gaspé Peninsula and Madeleine Islands; Quebec Public Health Department and Regional Health and Social Services; Community Health Promotion Network Atlantic.

Private sector

Private sector stakeholders include:

• architects/home builders: design of barrier-free and safe homes and buildings, and development and implementation of building codes Healthy Aging 11 Injury Prevention

• product designers/manufacturers/retailers: creation of safe products and effective and innovative assistive devices

• engineers: design of public places.