Each year, millions of elderly individuals over 65 will experience a fall, and many will fall again soon after the first fall. These falls often result in serious injuries, such as fractures or head injuries.
In fact, according to the CDC, 800,000 individuals annually over the age of 65 are hospitalized due to a fall. In addition, falls are the second leading cause of unintended fatality worldwide, and they are the leading cause of death in individuals over the age of 65.
The prevalence of falling and its accompanying consequences in the elderly is a significant problem, and the problem is even more exacerbated by unreported falls that go untreated.
In what follows, we’ll discuss the problem with falls in the elderly and the associated causes and complications associated with these falls. We’ll also cover some of the preventative measures to decrease risk.
Table of Contents
Common Causes of Elderly Falls
Because we know that the leading cause of elderly deaths, injuries, and hospitalizations is falling, it’s essential to identify the primary causes of these falls.
Some of the common causes of falls in the elderly include:
• General Weakness and Osteoporosis
• Medication Side Effects
• Stroke or Heart Attack
Generalized Weakness and Osteoporosis
As individuals age, they risk falling because older muscles will lose some strength over time. In addition, osteoporosis, which is the condition where bones become more brittle and fragile, often due to calcium or vitamin D deficiency, is a prevalent elderly condition. The combination of these issues will increase the risk of falls dramatically.
Medication Side Effects
Certain medications are a well-documented risk factor for falling. For example, medications used for the treatment of such conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease can cause the side effects of dizziness and fainting. Some individuals can be susceptible to high blood pressure medication, and the medication can cause a significant decrease in resting blood pressure. When this occurs, the risk of becoming dizzy and passing out is relatively high. In addition, certain heart medications can also cause these same side effects.
Stroke or Heart Attack
It’s also possible that an acute medical illness, such as a stroke or a heart attack can lead to falls in the elderly.
Other potential causes for elderly falls can be decreased vision, slow reflexes, or cognitive impairment.
Complications of Elderly Falls
Several complications can occur with elderly falls, and the risks of these complications can be pretty high in the geriatric population.
These are some of the common complications associated with elderly falls:
• Head Injuries
• Hip Fractures
• Bleeding Complications
Head Injuries
Head injuries can occur more commonly in elderly individuals because they are less likely to be able to protect their heads in a fall compared to the younger population. These injuries can be as simple as a bruise or as complicated as a traumatic brain injury.
One of the highest incidences of traumatic brain injury is in the over 85-year age group.
Hip Fractures
The rate of hip fractures in the elderly is rising yearly, and most causes are accidental falls. For example, in 95% of hip fracture cases in individuals over 65, the cause of the fracture is a fall.
Bleeding Complications
If an elderly individual is on blood thinners for a medical condition, the risk of bleeding complications post-fall increases significantly. For example, head injuries that cause lacerations of the scalp in these individuals can be even more severe since the scalp is a highly vascular area.
Preventative Measures for Falls in The Elderly
Because the causes of falls can often be linked to the sedentary lifestyles of the elderly, some of the most effective preventative measures for falls include exercise and physical activity.
Some of the best preventative measures an aging individual should implement to combat the risk of falling include exercise, environmental adjustments, creative interventions, and using specific tools such as walkers and wheelchairs where necessary. In addition, older individuals must understand that their age will require specific adjustments to their behavior, and they need to be willing to accept assistance in certain activities.
In some cases, it might be a good idea to find the senior living cost for special senior living care or communities to help lower the risk of falls or to have help on hand should there be an incident.
Items like walk-in tubs are useful in the bathroom and even in a bedroom close to a water source, this model had a low threshold for entry and many safety features for peace of mind.
When taking blood pressure or heart medication, it’s vital to closely monitor their blood pressure throughout the day to ensure that the medication dosage is correct for them and that their blood pressure does not become too low to walk upright without assistance safely. Using a cane or walker is helpful when taking any new medications to help prevent falls. In addition, health care providers must determine if the risk of falls and injury is higher than the benefits of medication treatment for elderly individuals.
Conclusion
Falls in the elderly population can result in significant complications. These complications can markedly impair an older individual’s quality of life. The utmost attention should be made to preventing falls in the elderly population.
![This is sponsored content. SeniorAffair.com has partnered with Care.com, and this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase or sign up through these links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. As always, our recommendations reflect what we genuinely believe will help our readers. Quick answer: Care.com is an online marketplace where you can search for in-home senior caregivers by the exact skills your family needs—companionship, meal prep, medication reminders, dementia support, and more—compare rates and reviews, and message or video-interview candidates before hiring. You can even search for senior living communities. Every individual caregiver starts with a required background check, though families should still do their own additional vetting. Care.com membership starts at $12.99/month. Key Takeaways Care.com lets you filter caregivers by specific skills—meal prep, transportation, personal care, dementia support, and more. Every individual caregiver starts with a required background check, plus Care.com offers a 24/7 safety hotline. Membership starts at $12.99/month. The Senior Care Advisor service pairs you with a master's-level social worker for a personalized care plan if you're not sure what type of care is right for your loved one. It usually happens fast. A fall in the kitchen. A diagnosis that changes everything. A phone call from a hospital you weren't expecting. One day you're checking in on Mom or Dad the way you always have, and the next you're trying to figure out, in a matter of days, who's going to help them get dressed, remember their medication, or simply not be alone all day. If that sounds familiar, you're not alone—and you're not behind. Most families who search for senior care do so under pressure, not because they waited too long, but because caregiving needs rarely arrive on a convenient timeline. The good news is that the search itself doesn't have to be another source of stress. Here's how Care.com can help, and what to know before you start. What Is Care.com, and How Does It Help With Senior Care? Care.com is an online marketplace that connects families with caregivers for in-home senior care, along with options like senior living communities and adult day programs. Instead of working through a stack of business cards from a hospital discharge folder or asking around your neighborhood group chat, you can search caregiver profiles by the specific skills your family needs, plus get additional safety and hiring tools to make the process easier. Whether your loved one needs help with meal prep, transportation, light housekeeping, personal care, medication reminders, companionship, or dementia support, you can search for caregivers who list that exact experience, then compare hourly rates, bios, and ratings and reviews left by other families. [INTERNAL LINK: our guide to signs a parent needs in-home care] How Do You Search for a Caregiver on Care.com? The process is straightforward: post a job describing your family's needs, and caregivers apply directly to you. You can search by skills, experience, and hourly rate to find a care that fits your needs and your budget. You must be a member to message and hire. Video interviews are built into the platform, so you can screen someone before sharing your address or inviting them into your parent's home. You can compare multiple caregivers side by side before making any commitment—no pressure to decide on the spot. Is Care.com Safe? What the Required Background Check Covers Every individual caregiver on Care.com's platform starts with a required background check. Care.com also monitors job posts and messages, operates a 24/7 safety hotline, and provides tips and resources to help families make safer hiring choices—you can learn more at care.com/safety. That said, a background check is an important start—not the full picture. We always encourage families to conduct their own additional vetting: talk with caregivers directly, check references, ask detailed questions about experience with your loved one's specific needs, and trust your instincts during video interviews before anyone sets foot in the home. It's also worth taking a few minutes to verify the details in any caregiver profile or job posting, since families are ultimately responsible for confirming that information is accurate. What Does Care.com Cost for Senior Care? As of 2026, Care.com's premium membership for families starts at $12.99/month, depending on the length of the plan you choose—you can search by skills, experience, and hourly rate to find care that fits your needs and your budget. What Is the Care.com Senior Care Advisor Service? For families who feel stuck before they've even started—who don't know whether Mom needs a few hours of help a week or a full conversation about assisted living—Care.com also offers Senior Care Advisor. For a one-time fee, you get 90 days of access to a dedicated advisor, a master's-level social worker, who gets to know your family's situation on a consultation call and then delivers a personalized care plan by email, along with researched local resources and next steps. The intake process is short—about five minutes to answer a handful of questions ahead of time—followed by a 30-minute consultation. From there, your advisor sends a detailed plan within a few days that covers everything from in-home care and senior living communities to navigating Medicare, Medicaid, and veteran's benefits, and even how to have hard conversations with siblings about splitting responsibilities. [INTERNAL LINK: our Medicare/Medicaid senior care coverage guide] It's designed for exactly the moment so many of us find ourselves in: knowing something has to change, but not knowing where to begin—and not wanting to figure it out completely alone. → Learn more about the Senior Care Advisor on Care.com You're Not the Only One Feeling This If you're the adult child juggling this search alongside a job, your own kids, and a life that already felt full, the guilt of "should I be doing this myself" is real. So is the exhaustion of not knowing where to even start looking. Those feelings are common, not a sign you're falling short. Having a structured way to search—filtered by the specific help your loved one needs, backed by reviews from families who've been exactly where you are—takes some of that weight off, even if it doesn't remove it entirely. How to Get Started on Care.com You don't need to have everything figured out to start searching. You can browse caregiver profiles freely, get a feel for who's available in your area, and filter by exactly what your family needs—whether that's someone a few hours a week for companionship or more consistent daily support. When you're ready, you can become a member to message caregivers, schedule video interviews, and compare your options side by side before hiring. Caregiving decisions are personal, and they rarely feel simple. But having a clear, organized way to search—instead of piecing it together from scratch—can make a genuinely hard season a little more manageable. Because while you want to care for everyone you love, it can't always be you. When it's not you, it's Care.com™. Frequently Asked Questions About Care.com for Senior Care Is Care.com legit for finding senior care? Yes. Care.com is a long-running online marketplace connecting families with caregivers, including for senior and adult care. Every individual caregiver starts with a required background check, and the platform offers safety monitoring and a 24/7 safety hotline—though families should still do their own vetting before hiring. How much does Care.com cost for senior care? As of 2026, a Care.com membership starts at $12.99/month, depending on the length of the plan you choose. Does every caregiver on Care.com have a background check? Yes—every individual caregiver on Care.com's platform starts with a required background check. Families are still encouraged to do additional vetting, such as checking references and conducting video interviews, since a background check is a starting point rather than a full screening on the family's behalf. What is Care.com Senior Care Advisor? It's a paid, one-time service that gives you 90 days of access to a dedicated advisor—typically a master's-level social worker—who builds a personalized care plan for your family, covering options like in-home care, senior living, and navigating Medicare and Medicaid. It also includes 90 days of Care.com membership. Can I find caregivers with memory care or dementia experience on Care.com? Yes. You can search for memory care and dementia experience and compare reviews from other families who've hired caregivers for similar needs. Does Care.com offer senior living community listings? Care.com's core search focuses on in-home caregivers, but it also provides information on options outside the home, including senior living communities and adult day programs. → Start your search on Care.com Disclaimer: Care.com does not employ or place caregivers, provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, or engage in any conduct that requires a professional license, including in connection with certain senior caregiving services. Families are encouraged to verify the accuracy of information in caregiver profiles, job postings, and other areas of the site. Pricing is subject to change; confirm current rates on Care.com directly. "Care.com" and "When it's not you, it's Care.com™" are service marks or registered service marks of Care.com, Inc](https://senioraffair.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/How-to-Find-Senior-Care-for-a-Parent-A-Practical-Guide-to-Getting-Started-218x150.jpeg "How to Find Senior Care for a Parent: A Practical Guide to Getting Started")
