Older adult fall prevention: statistics and what works
Falls are a leading cause of injury for people 65 and older, and most are preventable. Here are the CDC's own numbers, what the evidence says helps, where to find free classes, and what Medicare pays for.
- How common: the CDC says more than one out of four older people falls each year, but less than half tell their doctor.
- How costly: about 4.5 million emergency department visits a year, 1.4 million of them ending in hospitalization (CDC, citing WISQARS).
- What works: the CDC lists doctor review of fall risk and medicines, strength and balance exercise, yearly eye checks and a safer home. The USPSTF gives exercise interventions a Grade B for adults 65 and older at increased fall risk.
- Free help: ACL lists evidence-based fall programs (for example A Matter of Balance, Otago, Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance) offered through local aging agencies.
- Medicare: the yearly Wellness visit is $0 if your provider accepts assignment; canes and walkers are covered DME if a doctor orders them for use in your home (20% after the Part B deductible).
Last verified October 22, 2026 against the CDC, USPSTF, ACL and Medicare.gov pages named below. The CDC page does not state a data year for each figure, so we report them as the CDC does, as yearly figures, and do not assign years it does not give.
The numbers, from the CDC
The CDC's Older Adult Fall Prevention page “Facts About Falls” reports these figures for people 65 and older. Click a column to sort.
| Figure | What it measures | Source |
|---|---|---|
| More than 1 in 4 | older people fall each year | CDC Facts About Falls |
| Less than half | of those who fall tell their doctor | CDC Facts About Falls |
| About 4.5 million | emergency department visits a year due to older people falls | CDC Facts About Falls (cites CDC WISQARS) |
| 3.1 million / 1.4 million | of those visits: treated and released / hospitalizations | CDC Facts About Falls (cites CDC WISQARS) |
| Nearly 319,000 | older people hospitalized for hip fractures each year | CDC Facts About Falls |
| 83% / 88% | of hip fracture deaths / of hip fracture ED visits and hospitalizations were caused by falls | CDC Facts About Falls |
| About 37% | of those who fall reported an injury needing medical treatment or limiting activity for at least a day | CDC Facts About Falls |
| Doubles | your chance of falling again after one fall | CDC Facts About Falls |
What helps, according to the CDC and USPSTF
The CDC's “Preventing Falls and Hip Fractures” page advises older adults to:
- Talk to your doctor and ask them to evaluate your risk for falling, review your medicines for effects that might make you dizzy or sleepy, and ask about vitamin D.
- Get screened for osteoporosis and treated if needed.
- Do strength and balance exercises, such as Tai Chi.
- Have your eyes checked by an eye doctor at least once a year and update your eyeglasses if needed.
- Make your home safer: get rid of things you could trip over, add grab bars in the tub or shower and next to the toilet, put railings on both sides of stairs, and add more or brighter light bulbs.
For clinicians, the CDC's STEADI initiative has three core elements: screen patients for fall risk, assess modifiable risk factors, and intervene with evidence-based strategies. In its June 4, 2024 recommendation for community-dwelling adults 65 and older, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force gave exercise interventions to prevent falls a Grade B (for those at increased risk) and said clinicians should individualize the decision to offer multifactorial interventions (Grade C).
Free and low-cost evidence-based programs
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) says its falls prevention programs improve strength, balance and mobility and teach people how to reduce fall risk factors, and that some include medication reviews and home hazard assessments. ACL lists the following programs as meeting its criteria for evidence-based falls prevention programs:
- A Matter of Balance
- Bingocize
- CAPABLE
- Enhance Fitness
- FallsTalk
- FallScape
- Fit & Strong!
- Home Hazard Removal Program (HARP)
- Healthy Steps for Older Adults
- Healthy Steps in Motion
- The Otago Exercise Program
- Stay Active and Independent for Life (SAIL)
- Stepping ON
- Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention
- Tai Chi Prime
- Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance
- YMCA Moving for Better Balance
Availability, cost and format vary by community. ACL funds many of these through state and local aging networks.
What Medicare covers
- Yearly Wellness visit. Medicare.gov says you pay nothing if your provider accepts assignment. It is a conversation to create or update a prevention plan, not a routine physical exam; the Medicare.gov page does not specifically mention fall risk, so ask your provider to include it.
- Canes and walkers. Medicare.gov lists canes and walkers as durable medical equipment Part B covers when your doctor orders them for use in your home. You pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount after the Part B deductible, if the supplier accepts assignment.
See also how Medicare Advantage plans work and the Medicare cost calculator.
Local help
Your local Area Agency on Aging can point you to fall prevention classes, home safety programs and in-home help. See how to find your Area Agency on Aging.
Method
Statistics are quoted from the CDC Facts About Falls page, read twice on October 22, 2026; where the page cites WISQARS we say so. Programs are the 17 names on ACL's evidence-based falls prevention programs page. Medicare details are from the Medicare.gov coverage pages named in the cite box. We omitted any figure we could not confirm on a primary page, including fall death totals and dollar cost estimates.
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Primary sources
- CDC: Older Adult Fall Prevention, Facts About Falls — every statistic in the table
- CDC: Preventing Falls and Hip Fractures — what older adults can do
- CDC: STEADI (Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries) — screen, assess, intervene
- CDC: STEADI patient and caregiver resources — brochures
- USPSTF: Falls Prevention in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Interventions (June 4, 2024) — Grade B exercise, Grade C multifactorial
- ACL: Falls Prevention — program overview
- ACL: Evidence-Based Falls Prevention Programs — program list
- Medicare.gov: Yearly Wellness visits — cost and contents
- Medicare.gov: Durable medical equipment (DME) coverage — canes, walkers
This page is general education, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor or other health care provider about your own fall risk. The Retirement Literacy Foundation is a nonprofit and sells nothing here. Programs and rules change; confirm details with the agency named on the linked page. It does not endorse any product, program or company.