Image of an older women with walker in long-term care setting interacting with healthcare provider

In 2018, about 27% of adults aged 65 and older said they’d fallen at least once in the past year. And more than 10% were injured as a result, the latest data shows.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday released findings from the 2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a national survey. Investigators found slight increases in fall reports from 2012 to 2016, and then a slight decrease between 2016 and 2018.

Despite the recent downturn, older adults reported 36 million falls in 2018. Fully eight million of these falls resulted in an injury that curtailed regular activities for at least a day or resulted in a doctor’s visit. 

The analysts noted concern regarding the large number of falls among people 85 and older. That age cohort is expected to grow from 2% of the current U.S. population to 5% by 2050, making continued emphasis on fall assessments and prevention critical, they wrote.

Healthcare spending related to older adult falls is about $50 billion annually, the agency reports.

The findings were summarized in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.