Study: Falls Among Seniors On The Rise

ANN ARBOR (WWJ) -- According to a recent University of Michigan study, falling is the most frequent cause of injury among older adults, and their risk of falling may be higher than it has ever been.

The study finds that self-reported falls among seniors are up 30 percent in the last 12 years. Lead author of the study, Christine Cigolle, said that one reason may be medication.

"There are multiple changes in older adults as time has gone by, for instance, older adults are more likely to be using cardiovascular medicine or certain psychiatric medicines that increase the chance of falling," Cigolle said.

While there's an increase in self-reported falls, the researchers say the good news is that there was not an increase in injury to seniors due to the falls.

"We did not find that there was an increase in fall injuries, so that was something that was good," Cigolle said. "But the increase in reporting of falls overall is something that's a little concerning."

Researchers were surprised to find that the increase in falls wasn't due to the aging population and that all age groups — not just the oldest – seemed to be experiencing more falls over the 12-year period.