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Alarming Increase in Falls by Elderly Prompts
National Educational Campaign
Emergency room visits by those 75 and older increased
by 73 percent
 Feb.
14, 2005 The number of emergency room visits by elderly Americans
resulting from product-related injuries primarily falls has
increased by 73 percent, according to a study released today by the U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission. A national education campaign is
being launched by CPSC and the National Safety Council aimed at reducing
the staggering number of preventable injuries occurring among older
Americans.
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Falls
Among those 75 and older, about three
quarters (77%) of emergency room visits associated with consumer
products involved falls. Adults 65 to 74 had a lower proportion
of falls (59%). Typical scenarios for falls included:
_ Falls down stairs (while descending or
ascending).
_ Transitioning from standing to sitting
(and vice versa) on furniture, toilets, beds, bathtubs, etc.
_ Falls from tripping over loose carpets,
cords, and other obstacles on the floor.
_ Falling off ladders and step stools. |
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The study shows a 73 percent increase in Americans
75 and older treated for product-related injuries in an emergency room
from 1991 to 2002. Falls were the leading cause of injury for this age
group about 75 percent. Adults 65 to 74 had a lower proportion of
falls (59%)
The National Safety Council, which claims to be the
nation's leading safety and health advocate dedicated to protecting life
and promoting health, identified falls among the elderly as a leading
concern in its Safety Agenda for the Nation released in 2000.
In 2002, an estimated 1,451,140 people 65 and older
were treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms (ERs) for injuries
associated with consumer products. Of these adults, 955,540 (66%) were
75 and older.
During this same period, hospital emergency room
visits for those 65 to 74 increased 23%, while this age group did not
expand during these years. These figures result in a rate of emergency
room-treated injuries for those 75 and older approximately twice that of
those 65 to 74.
According to data from the NSC, each week more than
30,000 people over the age of 65 are seriously injured in a fall; nearly
250 die from their injuries. Of those who do survive a fall, 20 to 30
percent suffer from debilitating injuries that affect them the rest of
their life. In addition:
-- Falls are the leading cause of injury-related
death for both males and females 75-plus.
-- The most common serious injury is a hip
fracture. More than 24 percent of all people suffering a hip fracture
die within a year of the fall and another 50 percent never return to
their prior level of mobility and independence.
-- A total of 54 percent of all elderly
fall-related deaths occur in the home, and 20 percent take place in
residential institutions.
"Falls and injuries among the elderly are issues of
extreme importance to the National Safety Council," said Alan C.
McMillan, president and CEO of the NSC. "In 2003, more than 15,000
Americans 65 and older died as a result of unintentional injuries in
their homes. We need to take steps now in order to address this urgent
national issue."
The NSC is the principal organization working with
members of Congress to develop elderly falls prevention legislation. The
Elderly Falls Prevention Act provides a framework for a comprehensive
national education program, research agenda and prevention initiatives.
The Council is also in its fourth year of
implementing a Healthy Aging Prevention of Falls project that includes
public education and outreach initiatives. Funded by the Centers for
Disease Control, the Healthy Aging project engages the Council's chapter
network in community-based falls prevention activities.
It is through its extensive chapter network, as
well as its volunteer Community Safety Division, that the National
Safety Council will coordinate activities with the CPSC to educate older
Americans about their injury risks.
The NSC and CPSC recently renewed a Memorandum of
Understanding to formalize their commitment to working together on this
and other important safety and health issues.
For additional information about the National
Safety Council's efforts to improve the nation's safety and health,
visit
http://www.nsc.org.
The National Safety Council was founded in 1913 and
chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1953 to further, encourage and promote
methods and procedures leading to increased safety, protection and
health in the workplace, homes and communities, and on roads and
highways. The National Safety Council is a not-for-profit,
nongovernmental, international public service organization dedicated to
protecting life and promoting health.
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