Although the underlying status of the individual who sustains a fall may contribute to the fall and subsequent injury, the trauma resulting from the fall itself is most often the cause of morbidity and mortality. 10, 11 Several factors have been implicated as causes of falls and injuries to date, however, no definitive predictor profile has been identified. 9 Based on data from 2000, total annual estimated costs were between $16 billion and $19 billion for nonfatal, fall-related injuries and approximately $170 million dollars for fall-related deaths across care settings in the community. Fall-related injuries account for up to 15 percent of rehospitalizations in the first month after discharge from hospital. 8 Thus, falls are a growing public health problem that needs to be addressed. 2, 7 Sadly, these rates are moving away from the Healthy People 2010 fall-prevention goal, which specifically seeks to reduce the number of deaths resulting from falls among those age 65 or older from the 2003 baseline of 38 per 100,000 population to no more than 34 per 100,000. 2–6 Unfortunately, fall-related death rates in the United States increased between 19, from 29 to 41 per 100,000 population. In general, injury and mortality rates rise dramatically for both males and females across the races after the age of 85, but males older than 85 are more likely to die from a fall than females. 1, 2 Fall-related injuries are the most common cause of accidental death in those over the age of 65, resulting in approximately 41 fall-related deaths per 100,000 people per year. Up to 32 percent of community-dwelling individuals over the age of 65 fall each year, and females fall more frequently than males in this age group.
In the United States, unintentional falls are the most common cause of nonfatal injuries for people older than 65 years. Fall and injury prevention continues to be a considerable challenge across the care continuum.
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