Prevention of Falls among the Elderly

Abstract

THE annual incidence of falls among elderly persons living in the community increases from 25 percent at 70 years of age to 35 percent after 75 years of age.¹ Fifty percent of elderly persons who fall do so repeatedly. Falls are even more common in nursing homes, where the average annual incidence of reported falls is 1600 per 1000 patients.² Women fall more often than men until the age of 75 years, after which the frequency is similar in both sexes.¹ In the statistics reported here, and in the field of geriatrics generally, "falls" excludes those that result from major . . .