Fall and Balance Center
Falls are currently the leading cause of injury and the most common cause of hospitalization for trauma among older adults. Research indicates that nearly 80 percent of adults over the age of 65 who visit an emergency department cite falling as the cause of the injury, and half of these adults require hospitalization. Hip fractures are the most common fall-related injury leading to hospitalization, and half of all senior citizens hospitalized for this injury never regain former mobility levels, while 20 percent die within a year (Healthy Aging through Injury Prevention: Michigan's Call to Action, December 2005). The highest percentage of patients in health care is in this age group.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that all adults over the age of 75 should receive a comprehensive risk factor analysis. Older adults may be able to "age in place" if appropriate fall prevention strategies are initiated with the onset of frailty.
Did You Know?
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Nearly 20% of those who fall sustain a moderate to severe injury such as a head injury.
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13% of Michigan older adults reported falling within the past 3 months. 28% reported falling in the previous year.
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Fatal falls were 25% greater for men compared to women.
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Falls that occurred to Michigan seniors in 2002 had estimated medical costs of $657 million and total costs of about $2.9 billion.
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In 2004, falls caused 79% of hospitalizations for injury among Michigan residents aged 65 and older.
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Adults over 75 who fall are 4 to 5 times more likely to be admitted to a nursing home for a year or longer.
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Hip fractures lead to a 5-20% reduction in life expectancy for seniors.
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In 2001, 1.6 million older adults were treated in emergency departments for fall-related injuries.
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An average of 345 older Michigan residents died each year from a fall between 1999 and 2002.
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Between 1990 and 2004, the age-adjusted death rate due to elderly falls nearly doubled, from 20.2 to 38.2 per 100,000.
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Injuries relating to falling are the leading cause of accidental death in adults over the age of 65.
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Falls account for 80-95% of hip fractures in older adults.
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More than 1/3 of healthy adults over age 65 fall every year.
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Half of all older adults hospitalized for hip fractures cannot return home to live independently, and 20% die within one year of a fall.
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300,000 older adults suffer fall-related hip fractures every year.
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Nearly 200 Americans 65 and older die from fall-related injuries every week.
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Everyday over 400 older adults learn that they will never regain full mobility due to a hip fracture caused by a fall.
National Osteoporosis Foundation, 2001
