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Older people fall frequently. As many as one third of all older people who live in their own homes will fall each year, while half of those living in nursing homes will fall. Falls cause a loss of confidence with the resulting loss of mobility and function.

Many of the risk factors of falling have been identified and include certain medical conditions which cause:

• muscle weakness
  
• cognitive impairment
  
• medication use (side effects)
  
• stroke
  
• poor vision
  
• heart problems
  
• arthritis
  
• Parkinsons disease
  

Falls can also be caused by slips and trips in and around the home as well as in the community such as:

slipping on icy and wet surfaces
tripping on uneven surfaces or over objects.

Injuries from falls are common, particularly among frail nursing home residents. A hip fracture is the most serious of all fall injuries. Simulated experiments have shown that the force generated during the fall descent is greater than the strength of the hip bones. In addition the bones of older people are often brittle (caused by osteoporosis). If the impact of the fall is onto the hip area the hip is likely to fracture.

Protect yourself by ordering Hip Protectors.

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