Falls Are Frequently Fatal

You might think that, with all the recent advances in emergency care, deaths following falls in elderly people would be becoming less frequent. But that’s apparently not the case. The rate of fatal falls among people over 65 has risen significantly in the last ten years, according to reports. It’s been found that the mortality after a fractured hip in the next year is between 15% and 20%.

Why is mortality after a fall more likely? It may be because people are living longer, and older people are frailer. And, one must admit, we are all getting less active.

What’s to be done? Fall prevention is one answer. If seniors exercise regularly, make sure their medications don’t have side effects such as dizziness, and have regular eye exams, it would help to reduce falls. Making the home fall-proof is important, too. This involves a number of steps which may require some expenditure, but it’s worth it. And watch out for the cat (or dog), which likes to get under your feet.

Too much anxiety about this can have a downside: the well-recognized condition ‘fear of falling’. This can lead to reluctance for sufferers to go outside the home – while it’s recognized that most falls take place in the home! Life for us seniors seems to be getting more complicated.