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Falls can happen to anyone, and their health and economic impacts are significant. They are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries among adults age 65 and older in the United States, with over 36 million fall incidents happening annually and about $80 billion being spent on medical costs related to non-fatal fall injuries. Falls can cause hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and reduce quality of life.
The burden of falls on quality of life is expected to grow alongside the older adult population in the United States in the coming years. However, falls prevention programs are a powerful antidote, delivering significant health improvements and substantial economic benefits.
With Administration for Community Living (ACL) funding, NCOA supports implementation of evidence-based falls prevention programs nationwide. Some of these programs include:
According to data collected via the Healthy Aging Programs Integrated Database (HAPID), over 275,000 older adults participated in these programs between 2014 and 2024.
Purpose of evidence-based Programs ROI assessment report: Falls prevention programs
This report presents the first large-scale assessment of the return on investment (ROI) of evidence-based falls prevention programs. It was designed to help policymakers understand the full health and economic impact of falls prevention programs at scale, aiming to:
- Quantify reductions in fall-related health care utilization
- Measure improvements in general health, self-efficacy, and psychosocial well-being
- Estimate economic savings and ROI from avoided medical costs
- Provide evidence to guide federal and state funding decisions for preventive aging services
Key findings: Falls prevention programs are worth the investment
The results of this analysis reveal compelling evidence that falls prevention programs yield significant health improvements and economic benefits. Participants experienced marked improvements in the following key areas following completion of a falls prevention program:
- 52% reduction in the number of times participants fell
- 56% reduction in the number of falls that cause injuries
- 18% reduction in emergency room visits due to falls
The analysis showed a slight improvement in participants' general health, a small decrease in their feelings of loneliness, and a moderate reduction in participants' fear of falling.
The falls prevention programs also demonstrated extraordinary cost efficiency. The analysis uses avoided incidents per participant and health care cost estimates from the literature to present projected cost savings. The mean cost scenario showed savings per participant at $3,904.13, with a total estimated savings exceeding $1.07 billion. When measured against the $45 million invested in program delivery, the projected return on investment ranged from $8.36 to $38.04 for every dollar spent on falls prevention programs.
Download the report and supporting materials
Download and review the following materials below:
See if you're at risk for falling.
Falls threaten the safety and independence for older Americans and can create a heavy economic and personal burden. Check to see if you’re at risk of falling with NCOA’s Falls Free CheckUp tool.
