99%
Studies have shown that up to 99% of alarms sounding on a unit can be false or insignificant
Falls: Behind the Numbers
Did you know that nearly all of resident falls in senior housing communities are unwitnessed, and 70% of falls occur in a resident’s bedroom? These statistics are just the tip of the iceberg. Let’s dig into the numbers and discover how to prevent and reduce the risk of falling.
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The Golden Years
Baby Boomers have already begun to reach age 65 (and the oldest members turned 74 in 2020).
now 74 y.o.
now 57 y.o.
1920
1940
boomers
1960
2020
2020
2050
The population of Americans aged 65+ is projected to grow from 56 million in 2020 to 88 million by 2050.
56,000,000 elders
88,000,000 elders
And we have a growing problem
1 in 10
people age 65+ has Alzheimer’s DEMENTIA
an estimated 5.8 million americans age 65+ are living with Alzheimer’s dementia in 2020.
Falls are
a serious issue...
One in four Americans aged 65+ falls each year.
Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries among seniors.
Falling once doubles your chances of falling again.
Individuals with dementia fall about twice as many times, four on average, as those without dementia.
There has been a
20% INCREASE
in falls since COVID-19
...and falls are expensive
Falls are a leading cause of added healthcare expenditures, especiallyin elderly populations.
In 2015, the total medical costs for falls was more than $50 billion
and is estimated to be $67.7 billion in 2020.
2015
2020
$50B
$67.7B
It’s actually a bigger problem than most even realize
Typically, when someone is found on the ground, there are many unknowns. And if they are living with dementia, they often can’t explain what happened.
So what can be done to address falls?
Wearables and bed alarms are commonly the first defense in a fall management program. While helpful, these first fall interventions aren’t effective by themselves.
Top 3 barriers associated with alarms and fall reduction:
- Ineffective as a standalone intervention
- Alarm fatigue by caregiver
- Difficult to implement properly
And actually…
94% of falls are
unwitnessed
17% of falls are “silent” falls where the resident self-recovers alone
In 30% of falls, the resident moves after the fall before being found
In 23% of falls, the resident intentionally self-lowers without self-recovery
How do we know these statistics if the falls are unwitnessed?
SafelyYou is artificial intelligence-enabled fall detection and prevention for senior living.
Our AI-enabled cameras detect falls with unprecedented accuracy.
SafelyYou has reported 99.6% fall detection accuracy.
Video is recorded only when a fall is detected and care staff in the community are notified to assist immediately.
But it doesn’t stop with fall detection
Subsequent fall review provides caregivers the opportunity to understand the root cause of the fall and put measures in place to avoid the same type of fall from occurring again.
40%
reduction in falls
reduction in falls
80%
reduction in ER visits
reduction in ER visits
Witnessing actual fall on video review will help you conduct a more accurate resident evaluation and avoid costly ER visit. Leverage learnings to keep residents and staff safe.
Consistent, timely fall huddles to review fall details and develop action plans are key to a successful fall management program.
SafelyYou is quickly becoming the industry benchmark for fall prevention. We’re proven to drive occupancy, when move-ins are at an all-time low given the pandemic.
Although it is impossible to prevent 100% of falls in senior housing communities, you can partner with SafelyYou to develop an effective program to reduce falls and even increase occupancy rates, when move-ins are at an all-time low due to the pandemic.
