More Australian women are dying or ending up in the hospital because of falls, especially those aged 65 and older, according to a new report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
From 2022 to 2023, women made up 40% of all injury cases that led to emergency department visits, hospital stays, or deaths. That’s more than 536,000 emergency presentations, over 217,000 hospitalisations, and nearly 5,900 deaths.
The report found that half of all fall-related deaths happened to women aged 65 and older. Their death rate was 66 times higher than women aged 40 to 64. Older women also made up nearly three-quarters of hospitalisations from falls.
Why Older Women Are at Higher Risk
Australia’s population is aging, and older women now make up a larger share of the population over 65. As women age, they face more health risks that increase the chance of falling. These include:
- Weaker bones and muscles
- Conditions like osteoporosis
- Cognitive decline such as dementia
- Longer life expectancy compared to men
The AIHW noted that these factors combine to raise the risk of injury and death from falls among older women.
Fall Death Rates at a 10-Year High
According to the AIHW, both hospital and death rates from falls have been climbing steadily for the past decade—except for a dip in 2019–2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. But in the last three years, the number of deaths has risen sharply and is now at its highest level in ten years.
Most hospitalisations were caused by simple accidents like slipping, tripping, or stumbling on the same level, which accounted for 348 cases per 100,000 people. However, in nearly 75% of all cases, there was no information recorded about the setting or situation in which the fall occurred.
Falls Are the Leading Cause of Injury in Women
Falls were the number one reason women were hospitalised (57%) or died (58%) from injuries in 2022–2023. That equals 122,826 hospitalisations and 3,437 deaths. For every 100,000 people, that’s 922 hospitalisations and 21 deaths due to unintentional falls among women.
Other Leading Causes of Injury
While falls were the top cause, the report also highlighted other common injury causes for women:
Other unintentional causes (like unknown or unrecorded factors) were the second most common cause of hospitalisation (19,406 cases) and sixth leading cause of death (130 deaths).
In most of these cases, the injuries were labeled under codes X58 and X59, which refer to exposure to unspecified or unusual factors.
The most commonly injured body parts were the hip and lower limbs, though most of these injuries were not life-threatening.
Other Injury Trends Among Women
Transport accidents were the third most common reason for injury-related hospital stays (17,471 cases) and the fifth most common cause of injury deaths (340 deaths).
Hospitalisation rates from transport accidents fell, but the death rate increased from the previous year.
Accidental poisoning was the third leading cause of injury death in women (425 deaths). While the death rate was lower than in past years, it still ranked ninth in hospitalisation causes (3,299 cases).
Women hospitalised for poisoning were more likely to need intensive care compared to those with other injuries.
Conclusion
The AIHW report makes it clear: falls are a growing health risk for older Australian women. As the population continues to age, more focus is needed on prevention—such as fall-proofing homes, promoting physical activity, and regular health checks for conditions like osteoporosis and dementia.
Without more attention to this issue, hospitalisations and deaths from falls may continue to rise.
Related Topics:
- More Screen Time Tied to Sleep Problems, Depression in Teen Girls
- Why Some Women Cut Ties With Their Toxic Narcissist Mothers
- Many Teen Girls Skip Sleep and Meals to Lose Weight, Study Finds
