OBJECTIVES

: Falls are the second leading cause of accidental or unintentional injury and deaths worldwide, with elderly population suffering the greatest number of fatal falls. However, falls are often not reported to a clinician if there is no obvious injury associated with the fall, making it difficult to devise programs to prevent falls. This study aims to evaluate the risk factors associated with falls among elderly Medicare beneficiaries and also evaluate the proportion of patients seeking medical care for falls.

METHODS

: This retrospective study analyzed data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey, a nationally representative sample of the Medicare population. The primary outcome measure in the study was self-reported falls over the last 12-months. Demographics, social status, comorbidities, residence type, general health, and functioning were among those evaluated as potential risk factors for falls. Univariate, bivariate, and logistic regression models were conducted. Raw survey estimates and weighted estimates with 95% confidence intervals are reported.

RESULTS

: Of the 13,822 Medicare beneficiaries included in analysis, 27.41% (n=3,788) reported a fall during the previous year. Forty-eight percent were ≥75-years old, 57% were female, and 34% were obese. Falls were more frequently associated with race (odds ratio (OR) for African-Americans = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.52-0.69), marital status (divorced/separated = 1.17, 1.03– 1.32), general health (poor general health = 1.88, 1.54-2.30), functional limitations (5-6 activity limitations = 3.57, 2.86-4.46), genitourinary problems (0.56, 0.52-0.62), dementia or Alzheimer’s disease (1.24, 1.04-1.47). Only 27.77% of patients sought medical care for the falls.

CONCLUSIONS

: Falls are a significant health event among elderly patients and imposes a significant economic burden on society. This analysis suggests that risk of falls increased 3.5-fold with severe activity limitations and 2-fold with poor general health. Less than 1/3^rd of patients with fall reported seeking medical care, which is an addressable gap.