Falls in older people

The number of persons above the age of 60 years is fast growing, especially in India. India as the second most populous country in the world has 76.6 million people at or over the age of 60, constituting above 7.7% of total population. The problems faced by this segment of the population are numerous owing to the social and cultural changes that are taking place within the Indian society. The major area of concern is the health of the elderly with multiple medical and psychological problems. Falls are one of the major problems in the elderly and are considered one of the “Geriatric Giants”. Recurrent falls are an important cause of morbidity and mortality in the elderly and are a marker of poor physical and cognitive status. Evaluation of the morbidity profile among elderly people, and the impact of chronic conditions on functional disability and psychological well-being are an essential part of comprehensive assessment of the elderly. It will have implications for providing health care for the elderly population and its costs. There are few studies in Northern India which identify specific diseases that cause disability and consequent distress. Only three large-scale national surveys have been carried out exclusively with the aim of understanding the magnitude and pattern of various physical disabilities among the elderly population (Reddy and Sureender, 1992).