Get the Facts on Falls Prevention

Key Takeaways

• One in four Americans age 65+ falls each year.
• The financial toll for older adult falls is expected to increase as the population ages and may reach over $101 billion by 2030. In 2020, non-fatal older adult falls totaled about $80 billion in health care costs.
• Falls can be prevented. NCOA’s Falls Prevention Resource Center and the Falls Free® Initiative promote effective falls prevention strategies for older adults.

Even though falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries for older Americans,1 falling is not an inevitable result of aging. Through practical lifestyle adjustments, evidence-based falls prevention programs, and clinical-community partnerships, the number of falls among older adults can be substantially reduced.

The challenges of falls for older adults

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other falls research:

• Fourteen million, or 1 in 4 Americans age 65+ falls each year.
• In 2021, falls caused 38,000 deaths among those age 65+, and emergency departments reported 3 million visits due to older adult falls.
• The cost of treating injuries caused by falls among older adults is projected to increase to over $101 billion by 2030.
• Among older adults who fall, over half receive care in a hospital; the estimated annual average cost per inpatient visit for falls injuries is $18,658 and $1,112 per emergency department visit.
• In 2020, the total healthcare cost of non-fatal older adult falls was $80 billion.
• Falling once doubles the risk of falling again.
• People with hearing loss are nearly three times as likely to fall compared to those with normal hearing, but wearing a hearing aid reduces the risk of falling by 50%.

Falls, with or without injury, also carry a heavy quality of life impact. A growing number of older adults fear falling and, as a result, limit their activities and social engagements. This can result in further physical decline, depression, social isolation, and feelings of helplessness.

National Falls Prevention Resource Center

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) leads the National Falls Prevention Resource Center, which supports awareness and educational efforts about falls and promotes evidence-based falls prevention programs and strategies across the nation. The purpose of the center is to:

• Increase public awareness and educate consumers and professionals about the risks of falls and how to prevent falls.
• Support and stimulate the implementation, dissemination, and sustainability of evidence-based falls prevention programs and strategies to reduce the incidence of falls among older adults and adults with disabilities.
• Serve as the national clearinghouse of tools, best practices, and other information on falls and falls prevention.

Falls Free® Initiative

The National Falls Prevention Resource Center leads the Falls Free® Initiative, a national effort to address the growing public health issue of falls, fall-related injuries, and deaths. The initiative includes a coalition of over 70 national organizations charged with working toward the progress of one or more of the strategies in the National Action Plan. Members disseminate proven falls prevention programs, advocate for funding and regulatory changes, and educate professionals, older adults, and caregivers about how they can reduce their risk of falling. The initiative also includes a 47-member State Coalition on Falls Prevention Workgroup charged with collaboratively promoting effective federal, state, and local strategies to address falls.

The Falls Free® Initiative’s work includes:

• Falls Free® National Action Plan: In March 2005, NCOA released the landmark evidence-based Falls Free® National Action Plan to prevent falls and fall-related injuries in older adults. The plan was updated in 2015 and continues to serve as a roadmap and catalyst for action. The plan includes goals, strategies, and action steps to increase physical mobility, reduce the impact of medications as a falls risk factor, and improve home and environmental safety. The plan also promotes the expansion and funding of falls risk screening, assessment, clinical interventions, and evidence-based programs.
• National Falls Prevention Awareness Week: Every September, the Falls Free® Initiative promotes National Falls Prevention Awareness Week. States are encouraged to host and promote falls prevention awareness and screening activities to draw attention to the problem and offer older adults practical solutions.

https://www.ncoa.org/tools/falls-free-checkup

If you or an aging loved one is considering Home Care in Elk Grove, CA, please contact the caring staff at Aging Assistant today at (916) 897-4752