Many factors can lead to a senior slip or fall accident. Most occur due to poor posture, slow reaction time, lack of activity, poor vision, impaired balance, and side effect from medication. In-home falls can occur when homes have poor lighting, slippery floors, or loose rugs.
Many times older adults stop exercising because they are afraid of falling, but research has shown that less exercise increases the risk of a senior fall. Activity should focus on a repetition of simple balance routines like standing on both feet close together or on one leg with limited use of one’s hands.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- One in four Americans aged 65+ falls each year.
- Every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall; every 19 minutes, an older adult dies from a fall.
- Falls are the leading cause of fatal injury and the most common cause of nonfatal trauma-related hospital admissions among older adults.
- Falls result in more than 2.8 million injuries treated in emergency departments annually, including over 800,000 hospitalizations and more than 27,000 deaths.
- In 2015, the total cost of fall injuries was $50 billion. Medicare and Medicaid shouldered 75% of these costs.
- The financial toll for older adult falls is expected to increase as the population ages and may reach $67.7 billion by 2020.
