Falls are Serious

• One of three older adults fall each year.
• 2.5 million older people are treated in emergency departments for fall-related injuries, each year.
• About 700,000 older adults are hospitalized secondary to fall-related injury.
• Falls can cause moderate to severe injuries, such as hip fracture and head trauma.
• Every 29 minutes an older adult dies from a fall.
• Each fall doubles the risk of future falls.

Falls are Costly

• Fall injuries are among the 20 most costly medical conditions.
• The annual healthcare cost associated with falls among older adults was approximately 30 billion dollars in 2010.
• The direct medical cost related to falls is projected to reach 100 billion dollars by the year 2030. 
• The average hospital expense for a fall injury is over $30,000.

Other Fall Facts

• Women fall more often than men.
• Women are more than twice as likely to suffer a fall-related fracture compared to men.
• Men are at a greater risk to die from a fall compared to women.
• Older white adults are more likely to die from falls compared to older black adults.
• White women have significantly higher hip fracture rates than black women.
• Older non-Hispanic people have higher fall rates than Hispanic people.