Falls
Facts about falls
- The World Health Organization estimates that 391,000 people die as a result of a fall worldwide each year.
- Falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury death globally, after road traffic injuries.
- There are around 200,000 Australian and 56,000 New Zealand hospitalisations per year as a result of falls.
- In Australia, just over half of fall-related hospitalisations are for females and 56% occur in people aged 65 years and older.
- Fall-related hospitalisation rates are higher in young males (aged 5 to 24 years) but higher in older females (aged 55 years onwards).
- Fractures are the most common type of injury requiring hospitalisation.
- Falling from playground equipment is the most common cause of falls for young children (less than 14 years) whilst slipping, tripping and stumbling on the same level is the most common cause for older adults.
Resources
Key reports
- Trends in hospitalised injury, Australia 1999–00 to 2014–15
- WHO GLOBAL Report on Falls Prevention in Older Age
- Preventing Falls and Harm From Falls in Older People -Best Practice Guidelines for Australian Community Care
- The National Falls Prevention for Older People Plan: 2004 Onwards
- Falls Prevention Model of Care (Western Australia)
- Ladder injuries in NSW
- Trends in hospitalisations due to falls by older people, Australia
- Report on the reduction of major trauma and injury from ladder falls (Victoria)
Fact sheets
- Don’t fall for it: A guide to preventing falls for older people
- Know Injury WA Falls fact sheet
- NSQHS Standards fact sheet
- AIPN Falls from Windows Position Paper
Websites
- Active and Healthy NSW
- Australian Commission for Safety and Quality on Health Care
- Australia/New Zealand Falls Prevention Society
- Injury Matters – Stay On Your Feet WA
- Falls Prevention in SA
- Health Victoria
- NARI
- NEURA
- NSW Falls Prevention Network
- Queensland Stay On Your Feet
- MyAgedCare
International
- Prevention of Falls Network for Dissemination
- CDC Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths and Injuries
- PROFANE
Video resources
- Injury Matters (Stay On Your Feet WA®) YouTube Channel
- NSW Falls Prevention Network Videos
- National Council on Ageing (US)
Campaigns
Research
- Gillespie LD, Robertson MC, Gillespie WJ, Sherrington C, Gates S, Clemson LM, Lamb SE. Interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2012, Issue 9. Art. No.: CD007146. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007146.pub3
- Lukaszyk C, Harvey L, Sherrington C, Keay L, Tiedemann A, Coombes J, Clemson L, Ivers R Risk factors, incidence, consequences and prevention strategies for falls and fall-injury within older indigenous populations: a systematic review Aust N Z J Public Health. 2016 Oct 23
- Sherrington C, Michaleff ZA, Fairhall N, Paul SS, Tiedemann A, Whitney J, Cumming RG, Herbert RD, Close JC, Lord SR Exercise to prevent falls in older adults: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis Br J Sports Med. 2016 Oct 4. pii: bjsports-2016-096547. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096547
- Sukumar DW, Harvey LA, Mitchell RJ, Close JC The impact of geographical location on trends in hospitalisation rates and outcomes for fall-related injuries in older people. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2016 Aug;40(4):342-8
- Vallmuur K Eley R, Watson A. Falls from ladders in Australia: comparing occupational and non-occupational injuries across age groups. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public health. 2016
International
- Howe TE, Rochester L, Neil F, Skelton DA, Ballinger C. Exercise for improving balance in older people. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2011, Issue 11. Art. No.: CD004963. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004963.pub3.
- Kendrick D, Kumar A, Carpenter H, Zijlstra GAR, Skelton DA, Cook JR, Stevens Z, Belcher CM, Haworth D, Gawler SJ, Gage H, Masud T, Bowling A, Pearl M, Morris RW, Iliffe S, Delbaere K. Exercise for reducing fear of falling in older people living in the community. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2014, Issue 11. Art. No.: CD009848. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD009848.pub2.
- McClure RJ, Turner C, Peel N, Spinks A, Eakin E, Hughes K. Population-based interventions for the prevention of fall-related injuries in older people. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2005, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD004441. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004441.pub2.
- World Health Organization. (2012). Falls. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs344/en/