Falls are the highest cause1 of injury-related death, hospitalization, and emergency department visits for older adults in Canada.
Falls result in 80% of traumatic brain injuries2 in older adults, and nearly one third of falls by residents in long-term care (LTC) result in head impact1 and reduced staffing increases the risk of a fall due to the lack of assisted mobility, especially in the evening when the night coverage to patients ratio is much higher3.
Falls among older adults cost $5.6 billion in 2018 – nearly 20 per cent of the total cost of injury in Canada1.
Cost of fall4
• Average hospital cost for a seriously injured faller: CAD $44,203 • Average cost for a matched non-faller: CAD $13,507
• Additional cost due to the fall: CAD $30,696 per patient
Impact on Length of Stay4
• Patients who suffered serious falls stayed in hospital for an average of 45 days
• Non-fall patients stayed about 11 days
