The CDC Introduces MyMobility to Assist Older Adults in Maintaining Mobility and Safety
I am writing to let you know about a new CDC release, MyMobility Plan, a tool developed to encourage older adults to take action now to help them remain safe, mobile, and independent as they age.
As people age, their mobility, or ability to get where they want to go, when they want to go there, may be reduced due to physical changes, increasing or worsening chronic health conditions, or use of medicines that can affect their cognition and physical function. These mobility changes may adversely affect older adults’ health and independence and are often related to an increased risk of falls and motor vehicle crash injury—the two leading causes of older adult injury.
In response, CDC developed and evaluated the new MyMobility Plan to encourage older adults to prepare for potential mobility changes in much the same way they may plan financially for retirement. MyMobility Plan provides resources and tips for older adults to help manage their health to maintain mobility, make their homes safer to prevent falls, and consider alternative transportation as they age so they can stay safe, mobile, and independent longer. Related content includes a supporting fact sheet about medicines and associated potential side effects that may increase fall or motor vehicle crash risk and promotional and social media materials specifically for partners to share and help promote the planning tool.
The key audience for MyMobility Plan is older adults ages 60-74 who may be thinking about retirement or are recently retired. It can also be used by adults of any age to discuss mobility issues with their older relatives and loved ones. Older adults who have created a personalized MyMobility Plan reported performing more planning and preventive behaviors than those who did not use the tool.
We hope you will share MyMobility Plan with your stakeholders so that together we can encourage older adults to take action to prevent or reduce the effects of possible mobility changes, and stay independent longer.
Best,
Grant
Grant T. Baldwin, PhD, MPH
Director, Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention
CDC - National Center for Injury Prevention and Control