A New Report from USAFacts Explores why Death Rates from Accidental Falls have Tripled

USAFacts, a non-partisan research organization that aims to make government data easier to access and understand, recently published a new investigation to increase awareness about the rising prevalence of fatal accidental falls, as compared to the decreasing death rates from heart disease and cancer, which are the two most common causes of death in the United States.

The USAFacts team writes that between 2000 and 2023, “deaths by falls have risen 2.4-fold on an age-adjusted basis. While they have fallen among younger people and only risen slightly among the middle-aged, they have risen substantially within every age bracket of the elderly.” This data, pulled from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), points to how death rates from heart disease and cancer have fallen, yet death rates from accidental falls have tripled

Through government programs like the National Council on Aging’s Falls Prevention Awareness Week and the CDC’s STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, & Injuries) program, there have been large-scale efforts to raise awareness of fall dangers, but these efforts have unfortunately not resulted in lower fall death rates.  USAFacts’ research suggests that there are other reasons to explain the rising death rates from accidental falls, including a greater aging population, indicating that age is an enormous predictor of death risk by falls, as from “age 40 onward, the annual death rate from falls increases by roughly 9–10% for each additional year of age,” the recent study notes. Additionally, increased prescription medication use, alcohol consumption, rates of obesity, and changes in reporting rates across the country may also be factors in the increase in the rates of accidental falls.

While the causes of the growing number of falls may still be unclear, one thing is for sure: swift Congressional action is needed to address these critical issues and protect our seniors. Specifically, the Stopping Addiction and Falls for the Elderly (SAFE) Act (S. 2612/H.R. 1171) would ensure access to a no-cost falls risk assessment provided by a falls expert—a physical or occupational therapist—under Medicare beneficiaries’ annual wellness visit. APTQI urges Congress to pass this legislation to turn the falls tide in the other direction and keep older adults safe and independent.

To urge your lawmaker to cosponsor the SAFE Act, CLICK HERE.

To read the full USAFacts article, CLICK HERE.