Falls in the Community: Prevalence Increases, Injuries Hold Steady

​The proportion of community-dwelling adults age 65 or older who reported having fallen increased by more than eight percentage points from 1998 to 2010, according to a research letter published in the January 19, 2015, JAMA Internal Medicine. The study examined seven sets of surveys conducted every other year during the time span, with at least 10,000 adults participating in each survey. Participants were asked to identify whether they had fallen at least once during the previous two-year period. The increase in falls, reported by 28.2% in 1998 and 36.3% in 2010, was most pronounced in respondents at the younger end of the age range and was not related to the prevalence of other diseases (e.g., diabetes) or self-reported disabilities.