Fall Risk and Prevention in the Elderly

Falls and fall-related injuries are very common in older adults and the incidence of falling is on the increase as a greater number of adults are entering their senior years (>65 years old). It is well documented that falling can have tremendous negative effects on an individual’s functional independence and quality of life, damaging their confidence and limiting their activities. This is now recognized as a global problem and teams of international experts have assembled guidelines for fall prevention and management for older adults.¹ 

By the Numbers

The statistics are alarming. In 2018, 27.5 percent of American adults 65 years or older reported at least one fall in the past year, and 10.2 percent reported a fall-related injury. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), falls are the leading cause of injury among seniors. Falls resulted in over 38,000 deaths in 2021, the leading cause of injury death for that group. In 2021, emergency departments recorded nearly 3 million visits for older adult falls, making falls both highly disruptive and very expensive. In addition, falls result in substantial medical costs, and data from the last decade estimated the total annual spending attributable to older adult falls in the United States was approximately $50 billion.² A more recent paper estimated the direct costs of in-patient falls exceeds $35,000 per incident.³ The good news is falls are not inevitable, and with proper protocols in place, they can be prevented.