Are Fatal Falls On The Rise Among Senior Citizens?

Falls are more of a concern for older adults than they are for younger people. If someone in their 20s or 30s experiences a same-level fall or even a fall down the stairs in front of their home, they may walk away with nothing more than a bruised bottom and a profound sense of embarrassment. For an older adult, that same fall could lead to broken bones. In some cases, the injuries they sustained can lead to complications that could culminate in their premature death. Those who live alone could be particularly vulnerable to severe falls, but major falls also happen in nursing homes.

Falls have always been a source of concern for older adults, but the risk seems to have become more pronounced in recent years. What do statistics show about the risk of falls among older adults?

Deadly falls are on the rise

When looking at falls that lead to premature mortality in particular, there has been a concerning increase over the last few decades. In 1999, there were 10,100 deaths among people age 65 or older caused by falls and the injuries they produced. In 2020, that number more than doubled to reach 36,500. Of course, the population has increased since then as well.

When adjusting the number to account for population growth, the increase is still shocking. There were 29 deaths per 100,000 residents over the age of 65 in 1999 and 69 deaths per 100,000 older adults in 2020. Both men and women saw similar levels of fatal fall risk increases, and every race saw significant increases. White older adults had the highest risk of dying due to a fall in 2020, with 78 deaths per 100,000 adults in 2020.

Factors that may contribute to those risks include more adults trying to age in place instead of moving into nursing homes and understaffing at nursing homes compromising the quality of care in those facilities. Particularly in scenarios where falls occur at nursing homes, the people left behind after a tragedy may want to pursue justice in the civil courts. Taking legal action can be a reasonable response to a preventable fall that resulted in older adults sustaining serious injuries.