Try: As the Care recipient (cr) ages and becomes more fragile falls pose a serious risk to health according to the centers for disease control cdc falls are the number one cause of death from an injury for individuals age 65 and older in 2008 alone more than 19 700 seniors died from injuries sustained in a fall while the death rates of ailments such as cancer and heart disease have declined over time death rates from falls have increased especially among older crs the most common form of fall among elderly crs is a ground-level fall where a person is standing on the ground before the fall while this may not seem very dangerous when compared to a fall from a second-story window these types of falls are by far more common depending on how a cr lands in the fall he or she could experience everything from a broken hip to a traumatic brain injury trauma to the brain was the cause of death in 46 of fall fatalities among older crs even a less serious injury such as a broken bone could require risky a surgical procedure involving sedation and further trauma these two things can also put the cr’s life in jeopardy preexisting conditions as well the overall physical frailty that plagues many aging adults can also impede recovery from an injury-causing fall even if a cr survives the fall and subsequent medical care a longer recovery time may result in a longer hospital stay this can make a cr more vulnerable to disease and may ultimately render him or her incapable of caring for self these serious issues show the importance of fall prevention for the cr information references adapted from www agingcare com

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Keywords: Falling falls

*This information is listed as a Fact Sheet and is not explicitly medically licensed