It’s a fact: Falls among older adults are extremely costly. Every year, approximately $50 billion is spent on medical costs related to non-fatal falls suffered by older adults. Unfortunately, these numbers are expected to soar as more and more baby boomers pass the age of 65 and healthcare costs continue to skyrocket.
So, how can we prepare for the inevitable influx of falls and rising costs? As a family medicine doctor and physician executive, I believe it’s time to put the magnitude of falls into perspective and consider falls an imminent public health crisis of epic proportions. Fortunately, unlike many other health disasters, falls can be prevented.
The facts on falling
Falls are the leading cause of injury and accidental death among adults over 65 in the U.S. On average, falls cause 74 deaths per day and are the number one cause of Emergency Medical Services responses for older adults. One out of four older adults fall each year, but less than half tell their doctor. Falling once doubles the chances that an older adult will fall again.
Yet, most Medicare plans fail to address the problem that falls pose to aging populations. Falls account for 6% of the entire Medicare budget and can cost over $37,700 per person per year (PMPY), which is more than almost any chronic disease — including diabetes, vascular disease, pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure.
However, one of the many things that make falls different from a chronic condition, such as heart failure, is that early intervention can prevent falls and fall-related healthcare costs.
Prevention is paramount
The recently released Nymbl Science report, “Balance and Aging: Understanding How Aging Impacts Decline in Balance,” compares the cost of falling to the most common chronic conditions. The report details the financial burden falls put on the healthcare system and shares solutions proven to help prevent falls in older adults. The findings of the report support the widely accepted notion that proactive tools can and do prevent falls to drive down exorbitant medical costs.
Preventing falls — rather than managing them after they occur — is the winning strategy to fight the epidemic. And, by incorporating the latest technology, the medical community has a powerful way to help older adults prevent falls and live longer independently. The best part is that we all already have the technology — it’s literally in the palm of our hands.
Digital mobility platforms that can be accessed on smartphones and tablets are changing the game for early fall prevention. These platforms feature tools that help reverse age-related loss of the balance reflex — an almost universal change that contributes to many older adult falls — through support and mobility training that can be done anytime, anywhere. When offered as a complementary healthcare benefit, these programs can make a massive impact — especially when rolled out to a large population like Medicare members.
The recent study also found that older adults who use a digital mobility platform experienced improved physical mobility within 30 days. Additionally, there was a 41% reduction in average quarterly claims as a result of fewer falling incidents. With results like these, it’s time for health plans to go all in on digital fall prevention tools and make them readily available to their members.
While we can’t reverse time for our aging population, embracing fall prevention tools and increasing awareness about the falling epidemic can give them the ability to live longer independently. Digital mobility platforms have the power to catch falls before they happen and avoid the high costs and hassles that come with an ER trip. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about — empowering older adults to age with dignity, safety and independence.
Bob Mirsky, MD, MMM, FAAFP, is Chief Medical Officer at Nymbl Science, a digital health provider and leader in scalable fall prevention and bladder training for aging adults. Previously, he served as Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Medical Operations for Aetna Medicare. He has also held leadership roles for North Shore-LIJ CareConnect Insurance Company, the Mid-Atlantic Region of Coventry Health Care, Gateway Health Plan in Pittsburgh, FloridaBlue, and Tenet Health System Florida.
The opinions expressed in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News guest submissions are the author’s and are not necessarily those of McKnight’s Long-Term Care News or its editors.
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