Facebook Pixel

Healthy Aging: What If You Fall?

By
 
Rate This

As you get older, your chances of falling and breaking a bone or hitting your head increase. This is true for many reasons. For instance, age-related declines in vision, hearing, strength, and coordination can affect your balance. Certain medicines may make you feel dizzy. Also, like many older women, you may haveosteoporosis. Osteoporosis makes your bones weak. This means that even a minor fall could leave you with a broken bone. Read on to learn more about preventing falls.

Prevention tips.

Make your home safe.

Injuries

Falls are the most common cause of injury and injury-related death among older adults. These injuries include not only broken bones, but also traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI is brain damage caused by a sudden blow to the head — like a fall. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2005 alone, TBIs due to a fall caused nearly 8,000 deaths and 56,000 hospitalizations of Americans 65 and older.

More resources on healthy aging and falls

Add a CommentComments

There are no comments yet. Be the first one and get the conversation started!

Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
By submitting this form, you agree to EmpowHER's terms of service and privacy policy
womenshealth.gov
View Profile Send Message

We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

Tags: