Falls are the leading cause of injury and death from injury in adults over 65 years.(1) In fact, 30% of adults over 65 years and 40% of adults over 75 years fall every year.(1) As people increase in age beyond 65 years, falls can result in catastrophic loss of function. Every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated for a fall in the emergency department, and every 19 minutes, an older adult dies from complications resulting from a fall.(2) Falls are associated with pain, loss of confidence, functional decline, and institutionalization.
Causes of falls can be attributed to a combination of environmental challenges and components of the postural control system. Environmental hazards at home and in the community can initiate a fall. Individuals with balance, strength, coordination, and/ or processing impairments may be unable to respond appropriately to the environmental hazard which can result in a fall.
At Live Well SA, we specialize in identifying individuals who have an increased risk of falling and work with them to decrease the chance they experience a fall. If you or someone you know has had a recent fall or are worried about falling please contact us today.
Additional Resources
National Council on Aging:
https://www.ncoa.org/healthy-aging/falls-prevention/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
https://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/falls/adultfalls.html
World Health Organization:
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/falls
Citations
- Alghwiri, Alia A and Whitney, Susan L. “Balance and Falls,” Geriatric Physical Therapy, Mosby Inc, 2012, 331.
- “Fall Prevention Facts.” NCOA, 4 June 2018