Did you know: Fall Risk Information
Posted August 18, 2016 by Mandy Smith in Consumer Education
Fall Prevention Awareness Day is observed on September 22nd. But I thought I’d get a jump on the action and post some interesting information about falls. This information is from the National Council on Aging and can be found at www.ncoa.org.
- Most know that the older population fall more than others but did you know that 1 out of 3 Americans 65 years or older fall each year?
- Did you also know that every 11 seconds an older adult is treated in the emergency room for a fall? And every 19 minutes an older adult dies from a fall!
- Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries for older Americans
- Over 2.8 million injuries treated in the emergency department along with over 800,000 hospitalizations, and 27.000 deaths are due to falls
- $34 billion was spent in 2013 on fall injuries
Falls can hurt older Americans in other ways besides physically. Older adults may fall or know they have the risk of falling and limit some activities, stay home more and not be as social. This can cause depression, helplessness, and physical decline.
Look for more blogs in the future regarding falls, myths, and prevention ideas.
