Anyone can lose their balance and fall, but older adults are at greater risk than younger people. As you get older, the possibility of falling and getting hurt is higher. So are the risks of suffering significant medical consequences.
Businesses should do their best to keep their facilities safe and accessible for people of all ages and ability levels. When they fail to do so, they may put their older visitors at disproportionate risk for injury.
Falls can be more dangerous for older people
The older you get, the more age affects your body. You won’t be as strong or flexible as you used to be, which could make it harder for you to stop yourself when you lose your balance. You will also have less muscle mass to catch yourself on the way down and weaker bones that can more easily fracture.
All of those risk factors combined put you at far more risk than people in their 30s or 40s in a slip-and-fall incident. Once you reach the age of 65, statistically your risk for a fall increases. Roughly one in three people over the age of 65 falls every year, and half of those people will fall multiple times.
Thousands of older adults die each year because of falls, and others suffer serious injuries. Older adults account for a disproportionate percentage of the fatal falls that occur in the United States every year. They can also suffer spinal cord injuries and brain injuries in addition to broken bones in a slip-and-fall scenario.
Recognizing your personal factors that might increase your risk while out in public could lead to a better response after you get hurt in a slip-and-fall incident at a business.
