The rising cost of falls – Health researchers are calling for action

Falls are a major health issue, especially for people aged 65 years and over. One in three older adults living in the community falls each year and half of these people will fall again within a year. The consequences of falls can be severe. Over 133,000 Australians aged 65 and over were hospitalised due to falls in 2019– 2020. Falls contribute to 77% of injury hospitalisations and 71% of injury deaths for this age group (Figure 1). Falls are now the leading cause of injuryrelated deaths across all age groups in Australia with an agestandardised rate of 15.4/100,000, ahead of suicide (12.5/100,000) and transport (5/100,000).1 Australia is ageing at an unprecedented rate. The 2021 Census counted 4.4 million people aged 65 and over compared to 4.6 million people aged under 14, or 17% and 18% of the population respectively. In 2011, these proportions were 14% vs 19% respectively. The last 10 years clearly illustrate that we have experienced a decade of an ageing population. This historic demographic transition from predominantly young to increasingly ageing populations brings many benefits, but will also have important implications for our health system. The number of people aged over 65 years is expected to grow by 55% by 2040, outstripping the expected 30% allages population increase.2