Twenty-two percent of current residential care community residents had fallen within the past 90 days in 2016 during the National Study of Long-Term Care Providers, according to an article published Thursday as part of the Sept. 21 issue of “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.”
The survey represented 175,000 assisted living residents in the United States.
Fall incidence was highest in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Northeast region, at 27%. That region includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Fall incidence also was higher than average in the Midwest region, at 23%. That region includes Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Twenty percent of residents in communities in both the South and West regions had fallen in the past 90 days.
Reported falls included those on site and off site, regardless of whether an injury resulted or whether anyone saw the resident fall or caught him or her.
Saturday is Falls Prevention Awareness Day, an annual event that raises awareness about how to prevent fall-related injuries among older adults.
