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 Falling Injury Statistics and information

    Statistics and information about the "falling epidemic."

We tend to worry more about things over which we have no control.  So, we worry about attacks from terrorists or airline crashes: not auto accidents or accidental falls.

But, statistically, an accidental fall is the major injury threat to our health, especially as we get older.


From the Federal Center for Disease Control (CDC):

CDC falls graph infoFalling injuries graph
Note that this statistic is for ALL age groups, not just the elderly!


---  Some Sobering Statistics ---

If you are 65 or older, you have a 1 in 4 chance
of having an accidental fall this year.




TBI-statisticODH-84percent
Images from the Ohio Department of Health Special Emphasis Report: Fall Injuries among Older Adults 2005-2014
* * Click HERE for the Full Report * *

The most common serious injury from falling is a hip fracture.
More than 24 percent of all people suffering a hip fracture die
within a year of falling, and another 50 percent never return to
their prior level of mobility and independence.
Most fatal falls occur at home.  
The National Safety Council reports that 54 percent of all falling-related
deaths of older people are caused by seniors falling down at home,
and 20 percent of those fatal falls occur in residential institutions.

According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS),
accidental falls are the leading cause of non-fatal injuries in the US,
and the primary cause of fatal injuries for Americans 65 and older.
Most injuries come from striking a hard floor.

The number of fatal falls among older Ohioans increased
more than 202 percent from 2000-2015.
~ Ohio Department of Health

Every week, accidental falls send 60,000 adults
to the emergency room, and over 400 die as a result.