If you thought falls only happened to older men, you’d be wrong.
Almost three times as many people die in falls than in car crashes every year in Australia.
The Queensland University of Technology study revealed a rise of five per cent in fall risk factors for every year past the age of 40.
The research by doctor Emily Li, which looked at 305 people reporting to emergency rooms at three Queensland hospitals, found almost 60 per cent were women.
Women more at risk
They were twice as likely to report a fall in the last year as men.
Gender also played a role in the cause of the fall.
“Women were more likely than men to experience a feeling of losing balance,”Dr Li said. “The percentage of women who reported this feeling was twice the percentage of men.”
For men, it was a different story – their risk factors related more to behaviour such as drinking.
About 70 per cent of the participants, who had an average age of 54, also had at least one health condition, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and anxiety or depression.
There are steps you can take, such as getting enough Vitamin D to keep bones strong, exercising to maintain balance and strength and reducing risky alcohol consumption.
With injuries from falls only set to rise as we all get older, why not save yourself a visit to the ED now?
