Few Elderly Californians Get Fall Advice

More than one in eight seniors in California experience a fall every year, but a majority of those people do not seek medical attention after such occurrences.

Altogether, about 556,000 senior Californians fall every year, according to new data from the UCLA Center on Health Policy Research. 

Those falls kill more than 1,800 seniors a year and account for 72,000 hospitalizations and 185,000 emergency room visits. Nearly 20% of seniors over the age of 85 fall multiple times.

Yet, despite the grim numbers surrounding falls, nearly 59% of those seniors who had fallen did not receive any medical care. And among those who received medical care for their falls, only 57.8% said they had spoken with a healthcare professional about how to avoid falls in the future. Those who received medical advice either started using a cane or walker, changed their daily routines, or began an exercise or physical therapy program.

“There is a cost in terms of both lives and resources when doctors fail to talk to seniors who have already fallen about how to prevent future falls,” said Steven Wallace, a UCLA center associate director and author of the study.

The UCLA researchers recommended that healthcare professionals offer advice on fall avoidance to Medicare patients as part of the new wellness visits that are covered by the Medicare program.