It may come as a surprise that falling is a leading cause of hospitalization and death. In the Winnipeg Health Region, falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among those 65 years of age and older and are responsible for two-thirds (68%) of all unintentional injury-related deaths in that age group.
Falls are also the leading cause of injury-related hospitalizations for older adults and accounted for 86% of unintentional injury-related hospitalizations in their age group and 43% of unintentional injury hospitalizations for residents of all ages. These injuries can be very serious, reflected in the average hospital stay for a fall injury being 25.4 days, which is 4.5 days longer than the average length of hospital stay for admissions due to other unintentional injuries.
Source: Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Winnipeg Health Region Injury Report 2000-2010; Data years from 2000 to 2010.
