Fall prevention in the elderly . Every second of every day an adult aged 65 or older falls in the world. Every 12 seconds, one of these older Indians is admitted to the emergency department for a fall; and every day, 74 of those will die from a fall. **Falls Are Serious and Costly** Falls Are Serious and Costly. One out of five falls causes a serious injury such as broken bones or a head injury,4,5 Each year, 3 million older people are treated in emergency departments for fall injuries.6 Over 800,000 patients a year are hospitalized because of a fall injury, most often because of a head injury or hip fracture.6 Each year at least 300,000 older people are hospitalized for hip fractures.7 More than 95% of hip fractures are caused by falling,8 usually by falling sideways.9 Falls are the most common cause of traumatic brain injuries (TBI).10 In 2015, the total medical costs for falls totaled more than $50 billion.11 Medicare and Medicaid shouldered 75% of these cost...