The problem of falls among older adults has taken the shape of a silent epidemic. 1 in 4 older adults experience a fall each year. But, many health plans underestimate the prevalence and cost of falls due to frequent inaccurate reporting.
In our recent whitepaper, Balance and Aging: Understanding How Aging Impacts Decline in Balance, we prove that falls should be considered a chronic condition. Among other pieces of evidence, our investigation shows that falls meet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) definition of a chronic condition.
As described in the table above, falls meet each of the CDC’s criteria for chronic conditions. Further, it can be argued that fallers eventually “require ongoing medical attention.”
Without intervention, the impact of recurrent falls can generate inactivity as fallers limit their daily activities to avoid what they perceive as risky situations. This inactivity can bring a gradual decline in quality of life, requiring increasingly frequent medical attention and eventually leading to a full loss of independence.
In addition to the CDC’s definition, the cost of falls also aligns with the costs of other chronic conditions. In Nymbl’s Balance and Aging report, we further expand on why we should consider falls a chronic condition, how balance decline occurs as we age, and how the growing older adult population is leading to rising cost of falls.
We also explain why Nymbl is positioned to become the standard of care for fall prevention as the only solution with a proven population-wide impact for MA plans. In addition to delivering cost savings, Nymbl can also impact Star ratings.
Download Nymbl's Balance and Aging Report
Sources:
- Goodman RA, Posner SF, Huang ES, Parekh AK, Koh HK. Defining and Measuring Chronic Conditions: Imperatives for Research, Policy, Program, and Practice. Prev Chronic Dis 2013;10:120239. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd10.120239.
- Axene. The Cost of Chronic Conditions vs. Falls for Medicare Advantage. CMS LDS 5% sample for 2022, 2024. https://info.nymblscience.com/the-cost-of-falls.
- Courtney T, Estrada N, Mirsky B. Identifying Medical Spend for Older Adults with Injurious Fall Related Claims- Lessons Learned. Wakely x Nymbl White Paper. April 2023, https://5113115.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/5113115/White%20Papers/Identifying%20Medical%20Spend%20Older%20Adults%20Injurious%20Fall-Related%20Claims%20-%20Lessons%20Learned.pdf.
- Lee D, Tak SH. A concept analysis of fear of falling in older adults: insights from qualitative research studies. BMC Geriatr. 2023 Oct 11;23(1):651. doi: 10.1186/s12877-023-04364-5. PMID: 37821830; PMCID: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10568775/.