Fall Facts

Falls among the elderly don’t only affect them. Beyond the the social and personal aspects, these falls represent a major cause of injuries and even death, and cost health care systems tremendously. One out of three people age 65+ falls each year. Those age 72+ fall every two years, and 80+ fall at least once every year. Falls account for 25% of hospital admissions and 40% of nursing home admissions. In addition, about 40% of those admitted do not return to independent living, and 25% die within a year.

In 2000, the direct cost of elderly falls in the United States was $19 billion (Stevens et al., 2006).
The current annual overall cost of elderly falls in the United States is up to $75 billion (Steve Lohr, “Watch the Walk and Prevent a Fall,” New York Times, November 7, 2009).
17% of elderly falls are caused by balance disorder.
Repetitive training of compensatory steps: a therapeutic approach for postural instability in Parkinson’s disease
BALANCE RECOVERY BY STEPPING DURING BACKWARD FALLS

The problem of elderly people’s falls is not only going to be with us for the long term, it will become much worse every year because of the increase in life expectancy.

Usually, doctors recommend using a cane or traditional four-legged walker. However, the great majority of elderly people refuse to use these and other assistive aids because they symbolize weakness and dependency.

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