The facts are that people aged 65 and older have the highest risk of falling, with 30% of people older than 65 and 50% of people older than 80 falling at least once a year.
Falling has a high human cost – distress, pain, injury, loss of confidence, loss of independence and even mortality. According to Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK: “Falls are the leading cause of hospital admissions for older people and can have a devastating impact on their chance of living independently.”
Falls also impact family members and those caring for people who fall. And in financial terms, falls are estimated to cost the NHS more than £2.3 billion per year.
The good news is that research by JAMA International Medicine, and others, shows that when older adults exercise, their chances of falling, or sustaining an injury if they do fall, are significantly reduced.
