Falls are a significant cause of death and injury in older people and the leading cause of death in those aged over seventy five. In 1999 there were 647,000 Accident and Emergency Attendances and 204,000 hospital admissions for fall related injuries occurring in people over the age of 60.
With an ageing population, falls are likely to become more of a problem. Already falls cost the NHS and other agencies £1.8 billion per year.
According to Help the Aged, one older person dies every five hours as the result of a fall.
About 30 % of older people living in the community fall each year, rising to about 50% for those aged 85 and over.
After a fall, an older person has a 50% probability of having seriously impaired mobility and a 10% probability of dying within a year.
Older people have a higher risk of accidental injury that results in hospitalisation then any other age group. A third of all people over the age of 65 will fall at least once a year- this proportion rises to 50% for those over 85.
Incidence rates for falls in nursing homes and hospitals are two to three times greater than in the community and complication rates are also considerably higher.
Falls experienced by older people are more common among those with a longstanding illness or disability and the injuries sustained are generally more serious than those experienced by younger persons.
The largest proportion of deaths are due to falls from stairs or steps with over 60% of deaths resulting from accidents on stairs.
Some falls are preventable and much work has been done to identify those interventions which may reduce the risk of falling.
