Prevalence of Falls in the Elderly

¶ … Falls in the Elderly

It is no secret that elderly people fall more than people in younger age groups. Each year, approximately one-third of elderly people will experience a fall of some kind (Yoshida, n.d.; Centers, 2013). There are several reasons that this can be the case. The theory here is that balance simply becomes more tenuous as a person ages, and that not all falls in the elderly can be prevented. However, there are racial differences seen in falls, as well. White men experience the largest number of fatal falls, followed by white women, then black men, and black women (Yoshida, n.d.). People who have limited access to health care and other helpful options are also more likely to fall. They may have diseases or conditions that make falling more likely, putting them at risk (Yoshida, n.d.). Additionally, people who live alone and who do not have a lot of interaction with others in their local area are also more likely to experience fatal falls, because they will not be checked up on or discovered as easily if they do fall (Yoshida, n.d.). Naturally, this can become a serious issue no matter what is actually causing them to fall, and can result in deaths that were avoidable.

There are ways to prevent many of the falls, though, by making sure the elderly have assistance in their homes or other locations. This assistance can come in the form of other people to care for them, or bars to grab in areas of their home in order to help them keep their balance. The theory that balance becomes tenuous in older age was selected because elderly people fall across all other demographic characteristics. While it is still more likely for some groups to experience fatal falls, simply falling and becoming injured can and does happen in every category of race, gender, and social class (Yoshida, n.d.; Centers, 2013). With that being the case, it can be determined that age itself contributes to the higher number of falls experience, and that falls are generally a result of losing one's balance. This would lead to the hypothesis that balance is not as good, overall, in the elderly population. With poor balance, falls will be more frequent. The more often an elderly person falls, the more likely it becomes that it will be a fatal fall, which people want to avoid (Yoshida, n.d.).

Having caregivers and having grab bars in the home can help elderly people reduce their risk of both fatal and non-fatal falls. Another concern to avoid falls is medication. There are many elderly people taking antidepressants and hypnotics, both of which have been associated with a higher risk of falls (Blake, et al., 1988). While it may not be possible for all elderly people to get off of these medications, it may be possible for some. Additionally, reducing the level of medication or switching to something less likely to cause a problem can also work to the advantage of elderly people in order to keep them from falling (Blake, et al., 1988). It is not realistic to assume that all falls in the elderly population can be avoided. People of all ages fall occasionally.