Falls are the Leading Cause of Adult's Injuries

What's Unfortunate is that No One's Talking About Falls and Their Risk to Older Adults

After admission to the hospital, patients are discharged (if they make it out) without information or methods to reduce the potential of future risk.

After landing on the ground or piece of furniture:

• many seniors develop a fear of falling
• become less active, further increasing their risk
• quality of life then decreases as activities of daily living (ADL) are reduced

Older People Aren't Aware of Their Risk for a Fall

Despite the high prevalence and adverse effect of falls
among older adults, fall prevention receives little attention
in clinical practice.

Physicians don't question or test for risk of falling
so neither the older person nor the physician
 attempt to reduce risks.
It’s only after a fall occurs that awareness increases.

Current Guidelines Recommend Routine Doctor Assessment of Fall Risk

The purpose of Fall Control Systems, LLC is  to assist physicians, nursing homes, and
community-dwelling seniors by providing fall risk assessment through an evidence-based screening program. The definition of a fall is “unintentionally coming to the ground or some lower level not because of a violent blow, loss of consciousness, or sudden-onset paralysis as in stroke or an epileptic seizure.”

One-third of all seniors will fall at least once a year with many suffering multiple falls.

Falls account for:

• 40% of injury related deaths
• in people over the age of 65, falls are the leading cause of death from injury
• falls lead to substantial morbidity among older adults
• nearly 70% of all emergency room admissions are from people over the age of 75
• hospital stays resulting from a fall average a length of stay of 11.6 days
• for example, for every 100 falls, 40 people will be admitted to the hospital, and 20 of those will end up in a nursing home

Costs involved in falling include:

• doctor visits
• acute hospital and nursing home care
• outpatient clinics
• rehabilitation stays
• diagnostic tests
• medications
• home care
• home modifications and equipment
• residential

Projected costs per fall are US $7,399.00.
By 2020, total US estimated costs of falling is US $32.4 billion.

Forty-Two Percent of Fallers Reduce Activity After a Fall

Although there’s much evidence and emphasis on osteoporosis, it (osteoporosis) per se does not cause broken bones, a fall does. 15% of all older adults will have a hip fracture in their life time.

Risk Factors for Falls

There are many causes of falls. Many older adults will not tell anyone about a fall they encountered because of the fear of losing their independence. In one survey, 80% of the respondents said they would rather be dead than be confined to a nursing home.

The following table identifies the major risks for falling in adults:

RISK FACTORS

• Muscle Weakness
• History of Falling
• Gait Deficit
• Balance Deficit
• Use of Assistive Device
• Visual Deficit
• Arthritis
• Impaired Activities of Daily Living (ADL)
• Depression
• Cognitive Impairment
• Age > 80 Years