How Falls Impact American Seniors

In America, one in 10 falls results in an injury that limits activity or requires medical care for a prolonged period. (1) Each year, about 3 million emergency visits and 1 million hospitalizations among older adults are due to falls. (2)

Falls are expected to rise as the senior population grows. In 2019, 83% of hip fracture deaths and 88% of hospital visits for hip fractures were caused by falls. (3) Nearly 319,000 older adults are hospitalized for hip fractures each year. (3) It’s also the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries(TBI) (4)

A medical alert system can help protect you or your loved ones in the event of a fall, reducing the risk of serious injury or even death.

Learn how Emergency Medical Alert can help in an emergency situations.

1) Bergen G, Stevens M, Kakara, R, Burns, ER,Understanding Modifiable and Unmodifiable Older Adult Fall Risk Factors to Create Effective Prevention Strategies.American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. 2021;15(6):580–589. DOI: 10.1177/1559827619880529.

2) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.Web–based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS)[online]. Accessed March 11, 2024.

3) Moreland B, Legha J, Thomas K, Burns ER. Hip Fracture-related Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations, and Deaths by Mechanism of Injury Among Adults Aged 65 and Older, United States 2019. Journal of Aging and Health. 2023 Jun;35(5–6):345–355. DOI: 10.1177/08982643221132450.

4) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2021). Surveillance Report of Traumatic Brain Injury-related Hospitalizations and Deaths by Age Group, Sex, and Mechanism of Injury—United States, 2016 and 2017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services