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Seniors are Falling!
- Falls are one of the most serious health risks among seniors over the age of 65, affecting more people than stroke and heart attacks combined.
- Falls are the leading cause of death due to injury in those people 65 and over.
- 95% of hip fractures are caused by falls. 40% of those hospitalized for hip fracture do not return to independent living and 20% will die within a year.
- More than half (55%) of all falls by seniors taking place in the home. An additional 45% occur outside but near the house. VoCare can intervene in close to 80% of all falls.
- Most falls go unreported, but it is expected that 35-40% of people over the age of 65% fall each year.
- Those who fall are 2-3 times more likely to fall again.
- Getting help quickly after a fall reduces risk of hospitalization by 26% and death by over 80%.
- Of the 35 million Americans over 65, about 1 in 3 will fall in a given year. (Center for Disease Control, "CDC")
- Seniors are hospitalized for fall-related injuries 5 times more often than they are for injuries from all other causes. Falls are the leading cause of accidental death for seniors. (Center for Disease Control, "CDC")
- 50% of people who fall require assistance from someone else to get up.
- After a fall or other emergency, 90% of people who get help within one hour will continue independent living, but after 12 hours without help only 10% of people will continue to live at home. (New England Journal of Medicine)
- Nearly one half of the older adults who incur a serious injury never fully recover and many lose their ability to function independently for the rest of their lives. A good proportion end up in nursing homes, making falls and the injuries that result, one of the most substantial health threats facing older adults. (Yale University School of Medicine)
- In 2003, more than 1.8 million seniors age 65 years and older were treated in emergency departments for fall related injuries and more than 421,000 were hospitalized. (Centers for Disease Control, "CDC").
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