The impact of falls in the elderly

The number of falls in the elderly is becoming a major public health problem in our society. In the past decade, life expectancy has increased from 75 years in 1990 to 79 years in 2009 in the US. It has been estimated that the number of persons aged 65 years and older in the US will double by 2050. In 2000, falls accounted for 45% of all injury-related inpatient stays with almost 750,000 hospitalizations. Fractures were the most common primary injury diagnosis, including 314,006 hip fractures. Injury following a fall is associated with a decreased quality of life and poor functional outcome, in severe injuries these effects continue for a prolonged period of time. In 2006, fall-related medical costs in the population aged ≥65 in the US amounted to US$19 billion for non-fatal and US$0.2 billion for fatal injuries. In this article, we provide a literature overview on the impact of falls in the elderly, the demands on healthcare, and the costs for our society.