Falls - Age 65+ in Oregon

Oregon

Falls among older adults can lead to serious injuries with high medical costs and threaten their independence. The fatality rate from falls has increased steadily over the last few decades, particularly among those age 85 and older. In 2021, there were more than 38,700 deaths related to falls among older adults in the United States.

Risk factors for falls include vitamin D deficiency, difficulty with walking and balance, use of certain medications, vision problems and hazards in the home like uneven steps.

Falls among older adults result in substantial medical costs. In 2020, the medical costs attributable to nonfatal falls in the U.S. was approximately $80 billion; Medicaid and Medicare covered over 70% of those costs.

According to America’s Health Rankings analysis, the prevalence of falls is higher among:

• Older women compared with older men.
• Multiracial and American Indian/Alaska Native older adults compared with Asian older adults, who have the lowest prevalence of all the measured racial and ethnic groups. 
• Older adults with an annual household income less than $25,000 compared with those who have higher levels of income.
• Older adults living in nonmetropolitan areas compared with those in metropolitan areas.
• Older adults who have difficulty with self-care compared with older adults without a disability.

Actions older adults can take to prevent falls include:

• Asking a health care provider to evaluate their risk of falling.
• Talking with a doctor or pharmacist about medications that cause dizziness or drowsiness.
• Having annual eye exams and updating eyeglasses as needed.
• Getting screened for osteoporosis. 
• Participating in evidence-based physical activities to improve balance and strength, such as tai chi or A Matter of Balance.
• Fixing hazards in the home.

Fall prevention education increases knowledge about avoiding falls and hip fractures and encourages older adults to stay active. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has created the Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths and Injuries (STEADI) initiative to help health care providers make fall prevention routine. STEADI is based on clinical guidelines and provides information and resources for patients, caregivers and members of the health care team. 

The National Council on Aging offers a Falls Free CheckUp tool, which can help an individual identify their fall risk and provides resources and tools to reduce the risk.

Healthy People 2030 has two objectives related to falls among older adults: 

• Reducing fall-related deaths among older adults.
• Reducing the rate of emergency department visits due to falls among older adults. 

Garnett, Matthew. “QuickStats: Death Rates from Unintentional Falls Among Persons Aged ≥65 Years, by Age Group — National Vital Statistics System, United States, 1999–2020.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 71, no. 38 (September 23, 2022): 1225. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7138a4.

Haddad, Yara K., Gabrielle F. Miller, Ramakrishna Kakara, Curtis Florence, Gwen Bergen, Elizabeth Rose Burns, and Adam Atherly. “Healthcare Spending for Non-Fatal Falls among Older Adults, USA.” Injury Prevention 30, no. 4 (August 2024): 272–76. https://doi.org/10.1136/ip-2023-045023.

Kakara, Ramakrishna, Gwen Bergen, Elizabeth Burns, and Mark Stevens. “Nonfatal and Fatal Falls Among Adults Aged ≥65 Years — United States, 2020–2021.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 72, no. 35 (September 1, 2023): 938–43. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7235a1.