Fall: The accidental injury in geriatric population.

ABSTRACT

The term 'accident' is often used to describe a multitude of disparate events from falls and road accidents to suicides and violence. A 'fatal accident' for this purpose is defined as one in which death occurs within 30 days. Falls, road accidents and burns are major categories of accidents which lead to the highest rates of mortality among Geriatric Population. In most of the studies cited 'elderly people' are defined as those aged 60 or over and falls are the accidents with the highest mortality rates, particularly in the age group 85 or over. In 2006, with approximately 76.6 million (above 7.7% of total population) India alone accounted for one-seventh of world’s elderly. Their population has been steadily growing. It is projected to rise to about 12.4 % in 2026, doubling from 76.6 million in 2006 to 173.1 million in 2026. The major area of concern is their health with multiple medical and psychological problems. Falls are one of the major problems in the elderly and are considered one of the “Geriatric Giants” (immobility, instability, incontinence and impaired intellect/memory).