DID YOU KNOW?
Throughout Canada falls are the number one reason for injury, related death, hospitalization, and emergency department visits for older adults in Canada. In addition, Public Health Canada has reported that between 2010 and 2023, falls were the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations and emergency department visits among children aged 0 to 9 years; this resulted in an annual average of 4,590 hospitalizations and 187,709 emergency department visits.
FALL PREVENTION
The first step to avoiding falls is to understand what causes them. For example, poor balance, decreased muscle and bone strength, reduced vision or hearing, and unsafe conditions in and around your home can increase your chance of falling.
HEARING LOSS IS ASSOCIATED WITH FALLS
The part of the inner ear that provides sensory information about spatial orientation, motion, and equilibrium (state of balance) has a shared location with the part of the inner ear responsible for hearing. There may be connected dysfunctions between the two causing an increased risk of falling. Additionally, decreased hearing may also directly limit one’s access to auditory cues that are needed for environmental awareness.
FALL-RELATED INJURIES IN OLDER ADULTS
On average, 13 older adults die and 259 are hospitalized every day from falls. In a single year, falls amongst older adults result in:
- 4,849 deaths
- 28,310 disabilities
- 94,529 hospitalizations
- 424,609 emergency department visits
FREQUENT FALL SCENARIOS IN OLDER ADULTS
The top types of falls that lead to older adults injury and death are:
- Falls on stairs.
- Falls involving furniture.
- Falls on the same level (slipping, tripping or stumbling).
FALL-RELATED INJURIES IN OLDER ADULTS
- The risk of falling and suffering an injury from a fall increases with age.
- One in three adults over the age of 65 and one in two adults over the age of 80 will fall at least once per year.
- Older adults who have fallen once, are two to three times more likely to fall again.
- Falls are the leading cause of injury for older adults and can have a devastating and lasting impact resulting in injury, chronic pain, reduced quality of life and in severe cases, death.
- Almost half of older adults who fall experience a minor injury, while 5 to 25% will experience a serious injury.
- The rate of fall-related injuries for older adults is 9 times higher than for younger populations.
- Falls are the cause of more than 60% of head injuries and over 95% of hip fractures in older adults.
- Approximately 20% of older adults will die within the first year following a hip fracture, and 50% will never regain their pre-fracture functioning.
- Forty percent of all nursing home admissions are a result of a fall.
Remember, taking the time to learn and practice injury prevention costs you nothing. Failing to do so, could lead to the unthinkable … the loss of your life and the lives of those you hold dear.
Safety—it starts with you.
