Aussie aged care falls cost health system $325 million annually

Fall-related injuries in Australia’s residential aged care could be costing the health system $325 million annually, a University of Queensland study published in Injury Prevention has revealed.

Dr. Charles Okafor from UQ’s Center for Health Services Research said the study found fall injuries accounted for 20% of annual expenditure on an aged care resident between 2021 and 2022.

“We monitored 303 people aged over 65 in aged care facilities in New South Wales and Western Australia, and found the average cost of a fall resulting in injury was around $2,500 dollars,” Dr. Okafor said.

“A total of 281 residents had falls, but only 119 of the residents had fall injuries, so the potential cost of fall injuries to Australia’s health care system was $325 million dollars a year.”

“Falls pose a significant financial burden but despite efforts to address the issue over the years, falls continue to remain a significant problem.”

The study also found body mass index (BMI) and gender were the two major factors linked to a high fall risk.

“We found male residents were twice as likely to suffer a fall related injury and those with a normal BMI were also at higher risk,” Dr. Okafor said.

“Residents with a normal BMI are possibly more independent and not as closely monitored as those who could be overweight or underweight and less mobile.

“The fall risk profile is completely different for those living in the community, which means we need different approaches for different populations.”

While a national prevention strategy is in place through the Australian and New Zealand Falls Prevention Society, Dr. Okafor said more is needed to create a strategy specifically catering to aged care residents.

“Successful examples like the National Aging Research Institute’s fall prevention in residential aged care workshops could be used as models for implementation nationwide.”

“This could come about by liaising with stakeholders to find out what the training needs of aged care staff are, the challenges they’re facing, and what could minimize costs,” Dr. Okafor said.

Fall-related injuries in Australia’s residential aged care could be costing the health system $325 million annually, a University of Queensland study published in Injury Prevention has revealed.

Dr. Charles Okafor from UQ’s Center for Health Services Research said the study found fall injuries accounted for 20% of annual expenditure on an aged care resident between 2021 and 2022.

“We monitored 303 people aged over 65 in aged care facilities in New South Wales and Western Australia, and found the average cost of a fall resulting in injury was around $2,500 dollars,” Dr. Okafor said.

“A total of 281 residents had falls, but only 119 of the residents had fall injuries, so the potential cost of fall injuries to Australia’s health care system was $325 million dollars a year.”

“Falls pose a significant financial burden but despite efforts to address the issue over the years, falls continue to remain a significant problem.”

The study also found body mass index (BMI) and gender were the two major factors linked to a high fall risk.

“We found male residents were twice as likely to suffer a fall related injury and those with a normal BMI were also at higher risk,” Dr. Okafor said.

“Residents with a normal BMI are possibly more independent and not as closely monitored as those who could be overweight or underweight and less mobile.

“The fall risk profile is completely different for those living in the community, which means we need different approaches for different populations.”

While a national prevention strategy is in place through the Australian and New Zealand Falls Prevention Society, Dr. Okafor said more is needed to create a strategy specifically catering to aged care residents.

“Successful examples like the National Aging Research Institute’s fall prevention in residential aged care workshops could be used as models for implementation nationwide.”

“This could come about by liaising with stakeholders to find out what the training needs of aged care staff are, the challenges they’re facing, and what could minimize costs,” Dr. Okafor said.