Every hour an older adult dies as the result of a fall. In 1998, more than 9,600 persons 65 and older died from fall-related injuries, making falls the leading cause of injury death among this age group.

Hip fractures are among the most serious fall-related injuries. Half of older adults who suffer a hip fracture never regain their previous level of functioning, and many are unable to live independently after their injury.

Approximately 300,000 older adults suffer fall-related hip fractures each year.

In 1994, the estimated cost of fall-related injuries was $20.2 billion. By 2020, it may reach $32.4 billion.

Fall-related death rates among older adults are increasing. Efforts to prevent falls should include:

Working with federal and nonprofit partners to develop a national action plan and research agenda for reducing falls and related injuries among older adults.

Evaluating the effectiveness of promising strategies for preventing fall-related injuries, such as hip pads, improved vision, and improved lighting.

Identifying the factors that make older adults less likely to adopt proven fall prevention strategies.

Developing a national education campaign for older adults and their caregivers that describes who is at increased risk for falls, why they are at risk, and what they can do to prevent falls and related injuries.

Evaluating strategies to reduce falls in health care settings, including long-term care facilities.

Who is at Greatest Risk?

Women are three times more likely than men to be hospitalized for fall-related injuries.

Older adult men are 22% more likely than women to die as a result of a fall. This may be because men 65 and older have more chronic conditions than do women of the same age or because they engage in risky behaviors, such as climbing on ladders.

Frail adults—those with impaired strength, mobility, balance, and endurance—are twice as likely to fall as healthier persons of the same age, and they sustain more severe injuries when they fall.

Hospitalization rates for hip fractures are higher among white women than among black women. This difference is thought to be due in part to the higher prevalence of steoporosis among whites.