Fall-Related Injuries on the Rise Among Elders, N.Y. Times Reports

Fall-related injury rates among elders have gone up in recent years, The New York Times reported in a two-article series called “After the Fall,” published on November 2 and November 3.

In 2012, 2.4 million people aged 65 and up were treated in emergency rooms after falling down, up 50 percent from 2002, Times reporter Katie Hafner wrote.

Additionally, the number of fall-related deaths among elders doubled between 2002 and 2012. Nearly 24,000 elders were killed by falls in 2012, the last full year for which data is available.

Direct-care workers can help minimize potentially deadly injuries among elders by becoming aware of the dangers of falls. 

A free falls-prevention curriculum for home care workers that was developed by PHI and the National Council on Aging is available online.

— by Matthew Ozga