What do you think will happen to Kate? Will she fall again? What does her future look like? Is there any way to decrease her likelihood of falling again?

There are three distinct sets of people who fall. Some seniors are healthy but do things that are risky for older adults. I’ve seen patients like these in the hospital and nursing homes. They do things like climbing high up on ladders to trim trees or do house repairs. (I have one old friend who is a super “go for it” athlete who has broken many bones.) The second set are seniors who are “getting older”. Accidental falls are more common. These seniors are the ones most likely to benefit from fall prevention interventions. The third group are frail seniors. Falls occur at any time. Falls can occur even when getting out of bed.

Kate is somewhere between “getting older” and frail. The giveaways are her developing dementia and her weight loss. These facts indicate that she is becoming more dependent. She was probably not eating enough. The result was weight loss and weakness. With her loss of strength, she became more sedentary. Then she fell. Hopefully, daily monitoring, good nutrition, and daily exercise will decrease the likelihood of future falls. But other factors may be at play. Does she have good judgement? Did the physical therapist recommend a walker? If so, it’s likely that her gait is unsteady.

Falls Can Have a Disastrous Impact on Quality of Life

Almost all seniors will have a fall at some time. One in four seniors fall annually. As people become elderly the risk of falling increases. Falls have major consequences. At least 10% of falls will result in a fracture. Hip fractures are both common and serious. 95% of hip fractures are due to falls.