• Falls can lead to moderate to severe injuries, such as hip fractures and head traumas, and can even increase the risk of early death.

• Each year, one in every three adults age 65 and older falls and the risk of falls increases proportionately with age. At 80 years, over half of seniors fall .
• Among those age 65 and older, falls are the leading cause of injury death. They are also the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma.3
• In 2007, over 18,000 older adults died from unintentional fall injuries.3

Nonfatal falls

• People age 75 and older who fall are four to five times more likely than those age 65 to 74 to be admitted to a long-term care facility for a year or longer.13

• Women are more likely than men to be injured in a fall. In 2008, women were 46% more likely than men to suffer a nonfatal fall injury.3

• Rates of fall-related fractures among older women are more than twice those for men.14

• Falls may lead to hip fractures. In 2006, the hip fracture rate for older women was almost twice the rate for men.15

• 87% of all fractures in the elderly are due to falls.

• Falls account for 25% of all hospital admissions, and 40% of all nursing home

• Many falls do not result in injuries, yet a large percentage of non-injured fallers (47%) cannot get up without assistance. For the elderly who fall and are unable to get up on their own, the period of time spent immobile often affects their health outcome. Muscle cell breakdown starts to occur within 30-60 minutes of compression due to falling. Dehydration, pressure sores, hypothermia, and pneumonia are other complications that may result. Getting help after an immobilizing fall improves the chance of survival by 80% and increases the likelihood of a return to independent living.  

• Admissions: 40% of those admitted do not return to independent living; 25% die within a year

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• As alarming as they are, these documented statistics fall short of the actual number since many incidents are unreported by seniors and unrecognized by family members or caregivers

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• About half (53%) of the older adults who are discharged for fall-related hip fractures will experience another fall with in six months.

• Up to 40% of people who have a stroke have a serious fall within the next year.

• Frequent falling. Those who fall are two to three times more likely to fall again.   

Fall data collected from the CDC, Phillips lifeline, College of medicine university of Cincinnati