At some point in ours lives, almost all of us have lost our balance or tripped and taken a fall. In most cases, we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and move on. However, the risk of falling and seriously injuring yourself increases greatly as you get older. In fact, falling down represents a serious health issue for the elderly.
Here are some facts:
Twenty percent of people over age 65 will suffer a serious fall next year. This amounts to seven million falls per year.
Approximately 33 percent of these falls will occur at home.
Approximately 10 percent of those who fall once will fall again. Half of these patients will die within the next year.
Of those elderly who fall and fracture a hip, 20 percent will die within a year and another 20 percent will move from living independently to living in a nursing home.
