What the Research Says
“Elderly patients with hip fracture have a significantly decreased survival probability. Greatly increased 1-year mortality rates following hip fracture may arise from differences in bone quality, bone density, trauma, concomitant fractures, postfracture treatments or diagnoses, restoration of prefracture mobility, or a combination thereof. The synergistic effect of dementia may suggest detrimental mechanistic or behavioral combinations for these 2 comorbidities.”
— JMIR Publications
“Among adults aged ≥65 years (older adults) in the United States, the leading cause of injury and injury deaths is unintentional falls.”
“In 2020, 14 million (27.6%) older adults reported falling during the previous year. The percentage of women who reported falling (28.9%) was higher than that among men (26.1%)”
“In 2021, a total of 38,742 (78.0 per 100,000) unintentional fall–related deaths occurred among older adults. The fall-related death rate was higher among men (91.4 per 100,000) than among women (68.3)”
— CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
“Weighted exercises can help in maintaining BMD in postmenopausal women and increasing BMD of the spine and hip in women with osteopenia and osteoporosis. The exercise program must be incorporated into a lifestyle change and be lifelong due to the chronic nature of bone loss in older women.”
— Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy
“The annualized costs in the year before the fracture ranged between $18,523 and $20,928. The costs in the year after the fracture equaled $37,250. The incremental costs in the year after the fracture, compared with the costs in the year before the fracture, ranged between $16,322 and $18,727. The largest cost differences were attributable to hospitalizations, nursing home stays, and rehabilitation services.”
— Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
“balance training led to higher confidence in the participants’ ability to perform various daily activities without falling, better patient mobility and safety at speed, greater ability to perform balance-related tasks, and lessened difficulties with activities of daily living….data showed both high quality and strength of recommendation according to GRADE for the benefit of balance and postural control exercises to reduce the rate of falls in the elderly.”