Article,
The management of falls in older people: from research to practice
Reviews in Clinical Gerontology, (2000)
Abstract
Falls are common in late life. Evidence from New
Zealand, the United States and Great Britain suggest
that about a third of people aged over 65 will
fall each year, a proportion that rises to about half
for the community-dwelling population older than
85 years. Falls are the leading cause of death
from injury in older people. Although many falls
do not cause serious injury, nor precipitate referral
to the health services for 30–50% of fallers,
those that do have major consequences. From a
purely financial perspective, acute care of those
with falls is estimated to cost $10 billion per
annum in the United States.
