There’s just no getting around the fact that as an older adult, you are at risk of falling and potentially causing serious injury to yourself. The reasons for falling are numerous and complex (everything from balance problems to vision or hearing issues, to weak muscles or problematic medications), but the consequences are undisputed. Falls causing injury or even death continue to be on the rise in the United States. According to a University of Michigan study, the number of falls reported goes up about 1.5% every year, and nationwide, at least 41,000 older adults die as a result of a fall each year. Perhaps that means systemic efforts to prevent falls or lower the risk are not working, and a recent study reports that fall prevention efforts face innumerable challenges in educating older adults. Everything from embarrassment and denial from patients to program costs, transportation barriers, and inadequate education about fall prevention by healthcare professionals all conspire to limit efforts to lower the risk of fatal falls among older individuals. We’ve published numerous posts about the causes and dangers of falling, and ways to minimize your risks, but the damage from falls keeps coming. The National Council on Aging has a simple quiz to help you understand your own potential risk for falling, so steady yourself and find out more here.

As we’ve noted, there are innumerable and intertwined reasons why you may be at risk of falling. A recent post from AARP went beyond the usual risk suspects (medications, vision changes, muscle loss) and suggested 15 “outside the box” risks that cause falling, including a diabetes diagnosis, a pet that may cause you to trip, or even such typical foot problems as bunions, flat arches or hammertoes. One interesting note about pets, however. A recent study published in the Journals of Gerontology found that among older adults who live in the community, regular dog walking is associated with a reduced likelihood of falling, along with fewer mobility problems and less fear of falling. In fact, compared to non-dog walkers, regular dog walkers were 40% less likely to experience an unexplained fall. So grab your leash, and click here for more on this study.  

Another recent study of interest examined the association between traumatic injury and falls, and a subsequent diagnosis of dementia. Publishing their work in JAMA Network Open, researchers studied data from more than 2 million older adults brought to the hospital with injuries following a fall and found that about 10% of those patients were likely to be diagnosed with some form of dementia within the year following. While it is possible that the fall and injuries had something to do with the subsequent dementia diagnosis, it’s more likely that the injured patient had some sort of existing cognitive impairment at the time of the fall, which would then have put them at risk of falling. The researchers went on to suggest that a fall with injury may be an important indicator of the need for a cognitive screen for a patient, to pick up a possible dementia diagnosis before it becomes more serious. You can read more about this research here.  

Given the risks, what are you doing to lower your potential for falling? Do you have a plan in place should you experience a serious fall, including an emergency contact to help you and an understanding of what symptoms should lead you to seek immediate medical care? If you’re an older adult living alone in the community, it’s hard to argue that a medical alert with fall detection isn’t a good idea, so that you can get help quickly should the need arise, preserve your independence while lessening the anxiety of yourself and your loved ones, and enhance your sleep safety. For some recommendations of the best alert systems with fall detection available, click here and check out a smartwatch option here. What about taking Vitamin D to lessen your risk of falling? While there was some thought that taking Vitamin D and calcium could possibly prevent falls and fractures, the most recent recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force make clear there is not enough evidence to support adding these supplements to your diet to prevent a fall, and there is a potential of harm if you take in too much Vitamin D. While some older adults may be prescribed Vitamin D and calcium to address conditions such as osteoporosis, for older, community-dwelling adults, Vitamin D will not reduce your risk of falling and should therefore not be taken for that purpose. To find out more, put down your supplement bottle and look here.

.