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£1
billion Cost of Elderly Falls By BBC News August
20, 2003 Falls among the elderly cost the
government £981 million a year, researchers estimate. Almost
60% of the cost is borne by the NHS, with the remainder spent on long term
care. It
was found around 650,000 people over 60 were taken to A&E after
falling, and over 204,000 were admitted to hospital. The
research, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health,
said action was needed to prevent falls to protect patients and save NHS
funds. Analysts
from the Health Economics Consortium at the University of York examined
national databases to evaluate how many people over 60 had experienced a
severe fall in 1999. They looked at the number of A&E visits and
hospital admissions in patients aged 60 to 64, 65 to 69, 70 to 74 and 75
and over. It
was found there were almost three times the number of A&E attendances
among the over-75s compared to those in the other age groups. The
over-75s were also found to be eleven times more likely to be hospitalised
after a fall compared to those aged 60 to 64. Most
falls in all age groups occurred when a person was walking on a level
surface. Calculating
the cost of falls, the researchers estimated they cost falls £300,000 per
10,000 of the population aged 60 to 64 , rising to £1.5m per 10,000 aged
75 and over. They
say the total £981m cost is the equivalent of almost 20% of the annual
NHS drugs budget. The
research did not look at costs borne by individuals and their families. Confidence
Writing
in the journal, the researchers led by Dr Paul Scuffham, say preventive
measures must be introduced to protect the elderly and to reduce the
financial toll on the NHS. But
they add more needs to be done to find out what factors influence the
number and severity of falls among older people. He
said falls could be prevented by measures such as encouraging the elderly
to take weight-bearing exercise. Dr
Scuffham told BBC News Online: "It's a huge cost. Whether this huge
resource which is spent treating people could be better spent on
preventing accidental falls is the question that's the next step needed in
research." Gordon
Lishman, director general of Age Concern England, said the findings were
"extremely worrying". He
added: "The risk of falls increases as we get older and can be a
particular problem for people over 75. "Even
minor falls can cause older people to lose their confidence to get on with
everyday life, often becoming trapped at home." He
said immediate action was needed. "Ensuring
older people are not discharged too early from hospital and get the care
and support they need at home are crucial steps that could reduce the
risk." 'Costs
can be huge'
A
Department of Health spokesperson said: "We want to reduce the number
of older people suffering serious injury from falls and to ensure
effective treatment and rehabilitation for those who have fallen. "This
is why, over the past two years, we've encouraged the NHS, local councils,
voluntary and independent sector partners to work together to provide
improved services for older people. We are monitoring progress." She
added: "As the research mentions, forthcoming guidelines for the NHS
should speed up rehabilitation services for older people." Paul
Burstow MP, Liberal Democrat spokesman on Older People, said: "The
personal cost of a fall can be huge. "It
causes a loss of mobility, leading to social isolation and depression. It
can cause hypothermia, infection, and increased dependency and disability
leading to some form of long-term care." He
added: "Hip fractures alone cost the NHS an estimated £1billion a
year. Yet despite the National Service Framework standard on falls, the
Department of Health has failed to appreciate the full cost to the
taxpayer and to the older person." Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
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