The Incidence of Fall Injury Events Among the Elderly in a Defined Population

Abstract

Falls are a leading cause of death from injury among older persons in the United States, and about one in three older persons falls each year. Yet, reliable estimates of the incidence of fall injury events in a population-based setting are not readily available. Therefore, the authors analyzed population-based surveillance data, between July 1985 and June 1987, from the Study to Assess Falls Among the Elderly, Miami Beach, Florida. The rate of fall injury events coming to acute medical attention increased exponentially with age for both elderly men and women (predominantly white), reaching a high for those aged 85 years or more of 138.5 per 1,000 for males and 158.8 per 1,000 for females. Compared with males, females had a higher incidence of fractures other than skull. Males were nearly twice as likely to die, however, following a fall injury event than were females. Of those fall injury events identified through the surveillance system, about 42% resulted in hospital admission. The mean length of hospital stay was 11.6 days overall and was 15.5 days for hip fracture, 9.8 days for skull fracture/intracranial injury, 11.2 days for all other fractures, and 9.1 days for all other injuries. About 50% of fall injury events that occurred at home and required hospital admission resulted in a person being discharged to a nursing home.

Higher risk of multiple falls among elderly women who lose visual acuity

“…1 Approximately one third of older individuals fall each year, 2,3 and 7% of individuals older than 75 years have an emergency room visit for a fall-related injury each year. 4,5 Approximately 6% of urgent hospital admissions among older individuals are secondary to fall-related injuries. 3,5 Impaired vision may increase the risk of falls in older individuals.…”

“…4,5 Approximately 6% of urgent hospital admissions among older individuals are secondary to fall-related injuries. 3,5 Impaired vision may increase the risk of falls in older individuals. 2,6 -8 However, a number of previous studies 6,7 examining the relationship between impaired vision and risk of falls have utilized cross-sectional and retrospective designs and have been limited in their ability to control for potential confounding factors.…”

Accidents in older people living at home: a community‐based study assessing prevalence, type, location and injuries

“…1,2 Falls can result in disablement and institutionalisation, with only about half of those hospitalised for a fracture or other serious injury following a fall able to return home. 3 Other accidents, such as burns, also result in death and hospitalisation in older people. 4 Australian studies report fall rates for this population between 17% and 34% over a 12-month period.…”

Cognitive status is a determinant of health resource utilization among individuals with a history of falls: a 12-month prospective cohort study

“…Falls and fall related injuries account for 10-15% of emergency department presentations and 6% of hospital admissions of those aged 65 years and older [8,9]. Common diagnoses for fall related injuries are fractures and lacerations [7].…”