MONDAY, May 14, 2018 (HealthDay News) — From 2007 to 2016, the rate of deaths from falls among older adults increased by an average of 3.0 percent per year, according to research published in the May 11 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Elizabeth Burns, M.P.H., and Ramakrishna Kakara, M.P.H., from the CDC in Atlanta, examined the age-adjusted rates and trends for deaths from falls among individuals aged ≥65 years and by selected characteristics and state from 2007 to 2016.
The researchers found that from 2007 to 2016 there was an increase in the rate of deaths from falls by an average of 3.0 percent per year; during that period, the rate increased in 30 states and the District of Columbia. The rate of deaths from falls increased for a portion of the study period in eight states. In almost every demographic category included in the analysis, the rate increased; the largest increase per year was seen for individuals aged ≥85 years.
“Health care providers should be aware that deaths from falls are increasing nationally among older adults but that falls are preventable,” the authors write. “Falls and fall prevention should be discussed during annual wellness visits, when health care providers can assess fall risk, educate patients about falls, and select appropriate interventions.”
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