Why worry about fall prevention?

In all age groups falls are the second leading cause of hospital admissions due to injuries.
In 2004/05 Ontario had 39,070 hospital admissions due to an unintentional fall. This number represents 34% of all hospital admissions due to injuries.
Fall rates increase throughout the senior years with statistics indicating that falls resulted in 86% of hospital admissions due to injuries in adults over the age of 65.
Local data indicates that from October 2003 to October 2004, 1551 patients over the age of 55 were seen in Kingston emergency rooms (KRISP) because of a fall.
Falls are seen as the most costly cause of injury with each year $1.9 billion dollars spent in Ontario.
Personal costs of a fall can include pain, suffering, increased fear and a loss of independence.
40% of all nursing home admissions can be directly related to a fall.