6 | The way forward

Until now, a national overview was not available concerning fall-related hospitalizations, fall-related deaths and self-reported fall injuries for seniors in Canada. Report on seniors' falls in Canada provides a clearer picture of the situation and profiles compelling evidence for the effectiveness of combining comprehensive fall assessments with multidisciplinary and multifactorial interventions that address health and environmental factors to prevent falls among seniors.

While the national data presented in this report are important to demonstrate the nature and severity of falls among seniors, provincial, regional and local surveillance are also valuable sources of falls and fall-related injury data.

It is vital that the wealth of data and evidence at all levels continue to be studied, shared, and built upon to provide a truly comprehensive picture of seniors' falls across Canada. Those working within the jurisdictions are best situated to access their own data sources and to understand their strengths and limitations: regional variations in falls data need to be interpreted carefully as there are differences in the range of biological, behavioural, environmental, social and economic fall risk factors within regions. Variability also exists among jurisdictions in the types of infrastructures, policies and resources available to address seniors' falls.

As surveillance, research and program initiatives expand, collective understanding of risk factors and prevention of falls will increase. By sharing key evidence on seniors' falls and prevention strategies, the Public Health Agency of Canada and other stakeholders can contribute to the development of effective new interventions and policies, and to the reduction of trauma, disability and premature death from falls among Canada's seniors.

[Previous] [Table of contents] [Next]