The management of falls in older people: from research to practice

Abstract

Falls are common in late life. Evidence from New Zealand, the United States and Great Britain suggest that about a third of people aged over 65 will fall each year, a proportion that rises to about half for the community-dwelling population older than 85 years. Falls are the leading cause of death from injury in older people. Although many falls do not cause serious injury, nor precipitate referral to the health services for 30–50% of fallers, those that do have major consequences. From a purely financial perspective, acute care of those with falls is estimated to cost $10 billion per annum in the United States.