Older adults ages ≥65 years are more likely to fall than younger adults.[1] [2] Falls are often multifactorial in origin.[3] Identifying the circumstances surrounding a fall, and the symptoms associated with the fall, helps to determine the underlying cause, which in turn emphasizes the importance of obtaining a detailed history of the fall.
Identifying the cause will determine whether a more urgent medical evaluation is necessary to address life-threatening causes of falls and their consequences.
This topic primarily focuses on evaluation of falls in community-dwelling older adults.
Globally, mortality rates due to falls increased between 1990 and 2019.[4] Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide.[5] Each year an estimated 684,000 individuals die from falls, of which over 80% are in low- and middle-income countries.[5]
In the US, unintentional falls are the most common cause of injury, and death from injury, in people ages ≥65.[6][7] Nearly one in four older adults reported falling in 2020.[6]
Data collected from 2007 to 2016 demonstrate that deaths from falls among people ages ≥65 years have been increasing by approximately 3% per year.[8] Almost all age and demographic categories experienced an increase in deaths from falls, but the greatest increase was noted in individuals ages 85 and older.[8]
In England, during the period 2023/24, there were 219,155 emergency hospital admissions (1984 per 100,000 [standardized to the European standard population]) due to falls in people ages 65 and over.[9] Of these hospital admissions, 76,755 (955 per 100,000) occurred in people ages 65-79 years and 142,400 (4969 per 100,000) in people ages 80 plus years.
Fractures are common following a fall. In the UK, hip fracture is associated with increased 1-year mortality of 18% to 33%.[10]
