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A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF FALLS IN AN ELDERLY POPULATION: I. INCIDENCE AND MORBIDITY
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1977
Year
Physical ActivityAgingFall Risk AssessmentInjury PreventionGeriatric MedicineEpidemiology Of AgingLongevityInterdisciplinary TeamsPublic HealthFrailtyAnnual Fall RateFall RiskHealth SciencesFall PreventionPost-surgical RecoveryGeriatricsEpidemiologyEmergency MedicineActive AmbulatoryMedicineIncidence And Morbidity
Falls among older adults are linked to high morbidity and mortality, yet no longitudinal study has previously examined their incidence. The authors conducted a five‑year prospective study of an active ambulatory institutionalized cohort aged over 65 to track fall events. During the study, 45% of participants fell at least once, yielding an annual rate of 668 per 1000, with women experiencing higher rates, injury severity rising with age, 17.5% of falls resulting in serious injury, and a tendency for falls to cluster before death.
Falls among the elderly, although associated with substantial morbidity and mortality, have not been previously the subject of a longitudinal study. This five-year prospective study of an active ambulatory institutionalized population over 65 years of age, revealed an annual fall rate of 668 incidents per 1000, with a rising frequency in successive age groups after age 75. Forty-five per cent of all subjects suffered at least one fall during the study period. Women had a higher fall rate in all age groups and the severity of their injuries appeared to increase with age. Injuries severe enough to be brought ordinarily to the immediate attention of a physician occurred in 17.5% of falls. Among subjects who ultimately died after suffering many falls, there appeared in some to be a 'clustering' of falls prior to death.