Falls and injuries sustained due to a fall are a common and serious problem for older people. People aged 65 and older have the highest risk of falling, with 30% of people older than 65, and 50% of people older than 80 falling at least once a year. Annually, approximately 5% of older people who fall obtain a fracture or require hospitalisation for a fall-related injury.
Nationally, the population of older adults is projected to increase. The number and proportion of older people continues to rise, with over 11.6 million people (17.8% of the population) in the UK aged 65 and over and 1.5 million (2.3% of the population) aged 85 and over in mid-2015.
West Sussex has a large and growing population of older adults. If population growth projections are correct, the number of adults aged 65+ that are projected to require hospital treatment for a fall will almost double by 2039.
This data commentary summarises key data sources regarding falls and fractures among older adults in West Sussex. This will help inform the development of a falls and fractures prevention strategy to address this growing need.