Falls Facts
Fall-related injury is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in older people.1
Approximately 1/3 of people over 65 fall each year with 10% of these falls resulting in injury. 1
The total estimated health cost attributable to fall-related injury will increase almost three fold between now and 2051. 2
To maintain the current health costs, there will need to be a 66 per cent reduction in the incidence of falls by 2051. 2
Hospitals
In hospitals, fall rates of four to twelve per 1000 bed days have been described. 3
In the sub-acute or rehabilitation hospital setting, over 40 per cent of patients with specific clinical problems, such as stroke, experience one or more falls during their admission. 4
Thus, incident rates vary between wards and departments in hospitals. Injuries result from approximately 30 per cent of such falls. 5
Falls are the single biggest reason for admission to hospital and presentations to the emergency department in people over 65 years of age. 6
Falls after hospital discharge have been reported as occurring in 15 per cent of older people within a month of discharge, with 11 per cent of these resulting in serious injury. 7
Residential Aged Care
Up to 50 per cent of people in residential care facilities experience one or more falls in a 12-month period. 4
Along with cognitive impairment and incontinence, falls are one of the major factors in precipitating admission to residential aged care facilities. 8
Fall rates in residential aged care facilities have been described as anything from four to ten per 1000 resident bed days. 8, 9
There have also been descriptions of anything from one-to-five falls per resident per annum. 8, 9
Approximately 15 per cent of falls requiring hospitalisation occur in residential aged care facilities. 10
For people aged 85 years and over, 20 per cent of fall-related deaths occur in residential aged care facilities. 11
It has been calculated that at least 95 per cent of hip fractures are caused by falls with approximately two per cent of hip fractures occurring spontaneously. 11
References
- Pointer S, Harrison J, Bradley C. National injury prevention plan priorities for 2004 and beyond: discussion paper. Injury research and statistic series number 18 - Australian Bureau of Statistics. Canberra: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2003.
- Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Projected costs of fall related injury to older persons due to demographic change in Australia. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 2003.
- Oliver D, Hopper A, Seed P. Do hospital fall prevention programs work? A systematic review. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2000; 48(12): 1679-89.
- National Ageing and Research Institute. An analysis of research on preventing falls and falls injury in older people: community, residential care and hospital settings (2004 update). Report to the Australian Government, Department of Health and Ageing, Injury Prevention Section. Canberra: Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2004.
- Oliver D. Prevention of falls in hospital inpatients. Agendas for research and practice. Age and Ageing 2004; 33: 328-30.
- Davies A, Kenny R. Falls presenting to accident and emergency. Age and Ageing 2000; 25: 362-6.
- Mahony J, Palta M, Johnson J, Jalaluddin M, Gray S, Park S, et al. Temporal association between hospitalisation and rate of falls after discharge. Archives of Internal Medicine 2000; 160: 2788-95.
- Rubenstein L, Josephson K, Osteweil D. Falls and fall prevention in the nursing home. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine 1996; 12(4): 881-902.
- Morse J. Preventing patient falls. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1996.
- Victorian Quality Council. Research supplement. Minimising the risk of falls and fall-related injuries. Guidelines for acute, sub-acute and residential care settings. Melbourne: Victorian Government, Department of Human Services, Metropolitan Health and Aged Care Services Division, 2004.
- Queensland Government. Falls Prevention. Best practice guidelines for public hospitals and state government residential aged care facilities incorporating a community integration supplement. Brisbane: Queensland Health, 2003.