Falls Prevention Awareness Week
Falls Prevention Awareness
Falls among older adults continue to be a national public health concern.
Sept. 23-27, 2024, for Falls Prevention Awareness Week, a nationwide observance with state coalitions and partners to raise awareness on preventing falls, reducing the risk of falls, and helping older adults live without fear of falling.
Even though falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries for older Americans, 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.
As a result of falls, every 11 seconds, an older adult is treated in the emergency room; every 19 minutes, an older adult dies.
· 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.
Physical activity
Regular exercise can help older adults stay independent and prevent many health problems that come with age. According to the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, older adults should do two types of physical activities each week to improve their health—aerobic and muscle-strengthening.
These guidelines recommend that older adults engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week and muscle strengthening activities on two or more days a week.
In 2019 only 23.1% of adults age 65+ met the physical activity guidelines outlined above.
Information from:
https://www.ncoa.org/article/get-the-facts-on-falls-prevention/