Falls in Older Adults: Causes, Consequences and Prevention

Falls in older adults can cause injuries, reduce confidence and threaten independence. They often result from a combination of health conditions, balance difficulties and hazards in the home. This guide explains the main causes and consequences of falls, practical prevention measures, and the role of telecare and fall detection.

How can you reduce fall risks at home, recognise warning signs and arrange help after a fall?

In this guide: Falls in older adults: key points · What factors contribute to falls? · Consequences of falls: injuries, confidence and independence · How to prevent falls in older adults · What to do after a fall · Fall detection and telecare at home

Falls are a major public-health issue. The World Health Organization’s falls fact sheet, updated in October 2026, estimates approximately 842,000 fall-related deaths worldwide in 2023. These figures cover all ages, with older adults bearing a substantial share of the burden.

Fall prevention starts with understanding the individual’s risks. A review of health, mobility, medicines and living conditions can help identify changes that support safer daily activities.

Indeed, the experience of a fall weakens the elderly person, even in the absence of traumatic consequences, and can sometimes constitute a mode of entry into an institution.

What factors contribute to falls?

Risk factors often overlap: personal factors such as health and mobility, activity-related factors, and environmental hazards such as poor lighting or obstacles.

Falls can happen during everyday activities, indoors or outdoors. Bathrooms, steps and cluttered walkways deserve particular attention. Loose rugs, trailing cables and poor lighting can make moving around the home more difficult.

In addition, falls can also occur in a person suffering from vigilance disorders following excessive alcohol consumption or medication use. Also, patients with dementia fall more than those who are free from it. Of course, walking or balance disorders, poorly adapted footwear, and vision disorders are also the cause of falls in seniors.

Common causes of falls

The main causes of falls are thus the decrease in vision, hearing and balance disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, cognitive disorders (Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s or other neurodegenerative conditions) or even unsuitable shoes…

The circumstances of falls

The circumstances of falls are varied. Indeed, some are due to the environment and others to the health status of the person themselves. However, most often, these falls occur when walking, doing household chores, gardening, or simply getting up from a chair. In addition, accidents can be facilitated by the loss of reflexes, muscle strength, sight, and sometimes balance.

Falls of the elderly are favored by several factors:

Personal factors

• Age: the risk of falls increases with age.
• Motor disorders: walking and balance disorders are common with age. Caused in part by muscle loss, these disorders often result in falls in the elderly. It is recommended to equip oneself with a walking aid, such as a cane or walker.
• Sensory and cognitive changes: impaired vision, hearing or cognition can affect safe movement and awareness of hazards.
• Orthostatic hypotension: drop in blood pressure when the person changes position too quickly.
• Medicines: some can contribute to dizziness or reduced alertness. Ask a clinician or pharmacist to review them; do not change prescribed treatment independently.

Behavioural and environmental risk factors

Falls can also be encouraged by daily activities at risk: intensive household activities, gardening… Moreover, the habitat itself, if not adapted to the needs of its occupant, can cause many accidents.

It may be necessary to adapt the home to support independence in order to limit risks and promote healthy and safe living in one’s home. Eliminate rugs and other slippery floor coverings, install support bars, ensure good lighting, remove obstacles on the ground or trailing electrical wires…

The risk factors for falls at home

Unexplained falls or blackouts may require assessment for cardiovascular causes as well as balance or mobility problems.

Recurrent or unexplained falls should be discussed with a healthcare professional. The appropriate investigation and treatment depend on the underlying cause.

Consequences of falls: injuries, confidence and independence

The consequences of falls are numerous and of several kinds:

• Traumatic consequences: fractures, wounds, contusions, hematomas…
• Psychological: fear of falling again (post-fall syndrome) which leads to both postural maladjustment and a reduction in activities
• Social: reduction in activities which results in withdrawal and thus a gradual renunciation of one’s social life.

Traumatic consequences

Falls are a common reason for hospitalization and emergency room admission in the elderly.

Depending on the frailty of the elderly person and the circumstance of the fall, the consequences can be mild or severe with hospitalization and risk of complications related to forced immobilization.

Fractures, bruises and head injuries can follow a fall. Hip fractures are particularly serious because recovery may involve surgery, rehabilitation and additional support with daily life.

We must also anticipate the consequences of a prolonged stay on the ground for a person who has fallen and is unable to get up. A prolonged stay on the ground can very quickly lead to dehydration, hypothermia, circulatory disorders, pressure sores, etc.

Post-operative complications of a fracture can also be severe in an elderly and frail person with risks of infections. Other consequences are also to be considered such as the occurrence of behavioral disorders or clinical manifestations related to the abrupt cessation of medication (especially those taken for sleep). In the aftermath of the fall, the elderly person can become fearful, lose their independence for fear of falling again and need home help, or even leave for an institution. The consequences of a fall are indeed the cause of an inability to stay at home and a break in social ties.

Psychological consequences on autonomy and social life

The consequences of falls are also psychological (fear of falling again, postural maladjustment…) but also social (reduction in activities, withdrawal…).

It has been shown that the longer the time spent on the ground after a fall, the more severe the physiological and psychological consequences. Hence the importance of being able to detect a fall as quickly as possible.

How to prevent falls in older adults

Fall prevention can support independence. A personalised approach combines safer surroundings, appropriate activity and attention to health concerns.

Falls at home, risk areas

Falls often occur in “risky” places (such as the kitchen or bathroom), in hallways, stairs or even in the garden.

Prevention measures can reduce risk, although no approach can guarantee that a fall will never occur. A plan for getting help is therefore important too.

Rearrange your home to reduce risks

How to rearrange your home to avoid falls and move around safely ?

• Do not leave objects on the floor, especially in passageways (corridor, entrance to a room, stairs)
• Secure the wires of the telephone, lights, television, computer so as not to trip over them
• Make sure the lighting is strong enough so that there are no shadow zones on the routes
• Do not rush if the telephone, doorbell, intercom or knocks at the door are heard
• Stabilize the supports (in the bedroom, bathroom), presence of help bars, and access to call devices; equip the stairs with a handrail
• Beware of slippery floors, carpet edges, and pets, which sometimes tend to get under your feet at the risk of making you fall
• Plan for adapted and safe showers.
• Preferably wear shoes with non-slip soles.

Adopt a healthy and balanced diet

Diet is the basis of a good lifestyle. If it is adapted, it can help to limit the risk of falls, prevent malnutrition and muscle wasting. Meals should be rich in calcium, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins without forgetting to drink enough.

Many elderly people do not eat enough and this deficient nutrition increases feelings of weakness, dizziness, and therefore the risk of falls in the elderly.

Food and fluid needs vary. Seek individual advice if poor appetite, weight loss or a medical condition makes eating and drinking difficult.

In addition, alcohol should be consumed very moderately. Its absorption alters sensory and motor abilities and is likely to promote falls in the elderly.

Maintain physical activity at any age

The practice of a sport or physical activity adapted to seniors and regular, such as walking or gentle gymnastics, helps to preserve reflexes and muscle mass, and therefore, to reduce the risk of falls in the elderly.

Maintaining physical activity also helps prevent osteoporosis, cardiovascular system diseases, obesity, diabetes, colon cancer, and mortality. Every activity counts and you can start at any age.

Choose activities suited to your abilities. If balance is a concern, ask a healthcare professional about a tailored strength and balance programme.

What to do after a fall

Check for injury before trying to get up. Call your local emergency service if you cannot get up or suspect a head, back, neck or hip injury.

If you are hurt or unsure whether moving is safe, use a phone or personal alarm to request help. Someone assisting should not try to lift you alone.

Finally, it may be wise to consider a telecare solution for independent living, which allows you to alert emergency services or caregivers when needed, or if it is impossible to get up.

Fall detection and telecare at home

What are the means of detection and prevention of falls, how to get up and what to do to avoid another fall?

A previous fall is a reason to review what happened and consider an individual prevention plan.

Different types of falls

• Rapid loss of verticality associated with shock: known as a heavy fall
• When the person holds onto something (such as a piece of furniture): soft fall
• Syncopal fall: during loss of consciousness

However, it is difficult to accurately define all falls, especially since it is also important to identify false alarms.

The longer the time spent on the ground, the more serious the consequences of the fall. It is therefore crucial to be able to detect a fall to maintain the autonomy of elderly people.

Although it remains complex to accurately estimate, the overall economic cost related to the fall of elderly people is very significant, due to various health costs including hospitalization, physical and psychological follow-up, acceleration of dependence… The interest in working on fall detection (not to mention prevention) of the elderly is therefore major.

In this sense, several autonomy solutions have been developed and systems have been designed to detect falls and quickly alert in case of a problem.

Automatic detection and manual SOS buttons serve different needs. Examples include pendants with fall detection and the VIBBY OAK heavy-fall detector. Performance depends on the device, how it is worn and the type of fall; no detector identifies every fall.

For another approach, read about research into non-wearable fall-detection sensors. Our companion guide to fall detection, advice and prevention also explores ways to arrange support.