Key Facts and Stats About Falls

The impact of someone falling in their home goes far beyond injury.

Falls also affect mobility, independence and confidence. People who suffer falls leave their homes less and participate in less social activities. The effects of a fall can dramatically change someone’s quality of life. More than 1.6 million Canadians over the age of 65 will fall this year… and by 2030, nearly 25% of the population will be over the age of 65. Falls are a health issue not enough people are talking about.

Want to learn more about how falls are changing the health care landscape? Keep reading to learn some astonishing statistics.

Falls cause serious injuries.

More than 1.6 million Canadian seniors fall each year, almost half experiencing serious injuries. 
The most common injuries from falling are broken or fractured bones (35%), sprains or strains (30%), and scrapes, bruises or blisters (19%).
95% of hip fractures among older adults are the result of a fall.

Falling often results in hospitalizations.

Falls account for 85% of injury-related hospitalizations among older Canadians.
67% of people who fell in 2010 went to the emergency department within 48 hours.
Half of all fall-related hospitalizations were the result of falls in the home.
Hospital stays among older adults who fell are three times longer than the average hospital stay among all age groups in Canada.

Falls cost the healthcare system billions a year.

The cost of falling has contributed to roughly $2 billion per year in direct costs to the healthcare system.
Reducing seniors’ falls by 20% between 2010 and 2035 could save 4,400 lives and $10.8 billion in healthcare costs.

Falls are a leading cause of injury-related deaths.

Sadly, nearly 20% of seniors die within one year of a fall.
In Canada, deaths from falling down rose by 65% between 2003 and 2008.
Falls are the main cause of injury-related deaths among U.S. adults 65 and older. The rate of death from fall-related injuries rose by 31% between 2007 and 2016.

Falling will become an increasingly urgent issue as the population ages.

20–30% of seniors fall at least once per year.
The 2016 Census found there were more adults over the age of 65 than children under 15 in Canada, and the number of Canadians older than 85 is growing at four times the rate of the overall population.