Beware: Assistance Devices Can Cause Falls in Elderly

Each year, an estimated 47,312 elderly patients are treated in emergency departments across America for injuries sustained from falls involving walkers and canes. This accounts for almost 3 percent of all falls occurring among the nation’s seniors aged 65 and older.

Researchers from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, a part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),  arrived at the injury estimate by examining six years of emergency department medical records. From 2001 to 2006, an average of 129 elderly Americans were treated in emergency departments daily, with the majority of the injuries (87 percent) involving walkers. In fact, seniors were seven times more likely to be injured in a fall involving a walker rather than a cane. Study results revealed that older women suffered more than three out of each four walker-related injuries, at a rate of 78 percent, as well as sustained two out of three cane-related injuries, at a rate of 66 percent.

Officials from the CDC said that study results indicate the need for doctors to work more closely with patients in better fitting them with walking aids as well as a need to take more time to teach patients how to safely use them. The details of the study can be found in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Judy Stevens, Ph.D., lead author of the study, stated, “Walking aids are very important in helping many older adults maintain their mobility. However, it’s important to make sure people use these devices safely.” She went on to explain, “Walkers are often used by frail and vulnerable older adults; people for whom falls, if they occur, can have very serious health consequences.”

The study also found that for seniors who use walkers or canes, the likelihood of falling increases with age, with the highest injury rates occurring among those ages 85 and older. The most common type of fall injury seen was fracture, occurring at a rate of 38 percent for walkers and 40 percent for canes. Closely following, about one-third of all injuries were sustained by the lower trunk, including the hip and pelvis. In addition, over half of fall injuries associated with walkers and canes occurred at home. Overall, about one in three people experiencing a fall involving a walker and more than one in four sustaining a fall involving a cane required hospitalization. More research will be required to better determine fall risk factors for elderly adults who use walkers and canes, and to identify possible design problems that can be corrected or improved.

Falls are the leading cause of nonfatal injury in the United States, and among older adults, they can lead to serious consequences. The CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control recommends measures that can be taken by seniors aged 65 and older and their caregivers to help prevent falls. These include implementing a regular exercise program, having their doctors thoroughly review their medications, having their vision checked, and working to make their home environment safer.