Falls are now the leading cause of injury and death among older adults (65+) in the U.S. They are the cause of just under 75 deaths per day. Emergency medical services (EMS), most often accessed through 911 calls or by calls to a local fire department, report that 17% of calls for help at home by people over 65 are related to falls. Moreover, 50% of what are known as “lift assist” calls result in a second call within two weeks.
These statistics have taken a sharp rise in the last 10 years as our population ages. And these calls are not limited to older adults who live alone. One 75-year-old man I know whose wife is in her mid 80s has had to call EMS twice in the last two years when his wife fell. She wasn’t hurt, but she is heavier than he can safely lift. This is not an uncommon scenario.
Only one in five falls cause serious injury, so many falls go unreported. Only about 37% of those who fall require medical treatment or limited activity for even a day. However, there is hard evidence that falls of all kinds are on a steep rise. With the older adult population at 58 million today and rising to 82 million by 2050, it is easy to see that there is cause for concern. The following additional statistics bear that out:
· 70% of deaths in adults over age 75 are due to falls
· Falls are the #1 cause of EMS responses for older adults in the U.S.
· One in four older adults in the U.S. fall each year
· Falls account for 6% of the entire Medicare budget
Emergency medical service technicians are on the front lines of this upsurge in falls and are likely to be key players in our efforts to mitigate this upsurge in incidents. EMS calls are expensive and divert valuable resources from responding to calls which are more time-critical and require transport to hospitals (most fall-related calls do not end up with hospital transport because there is no injury involved). However, these lift-assist calls, as they are coded in the reporting database, are also associated with increased morbidity and mortality. According to the National Council on Aging, these calls should be a wake-up – a sentinel event – and considered an indicator that additional assessment and intervention may be needed.
Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) can play a vital role in educating older adults in their area about services that are available to them locally, such as:
· Community fall prevention education programs
· Written guidelines for making their home more fall resistant
· Observing older adults in their homes and providing personal guidance on how to make changes that will decrease the likelihood of future falls in their home
The National Council on Aging strongly urges a partnership between EMS and concerned citizens and offers the following tips on ways community organizations can engage their local fire departments or other EMS providers in a fall-prevention strategy:
1. Work together with EMS providers to gather the information needed to determine the frequency of calls for lift assists. This will enable your community to target fall prevention efforts where they are needed most
2. Learn about the connection between fire and falls and how the two hazards are related
3. Schedule a meeting for your organization and the local fire prevention bureau or fire marshal’s office to work on ways to develop an impactful partnership
4. Identify ways to collaborate. Evaluate current fall-prevention strategies that are in place
A partnership between first responders and the community they serve will go a long way toward tamping down the ever-increasing evidence that falls will overcome all other health threats to older adults.
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