Falls send hundreds of Camden residents to the hospital every year

In Camden, America's second most violent city, assaults make headlines. But falls send more residents to the hospital. From 2002 to 2009, Camden residents made more than 17,000 trips to the hospital for fall-related injuries. That's nearly double the number of hospital visits in the same period for injuries from assaults. Most falls in older adults are caused by a combination of health factors — poor balance and gait, medication side effects, limited vision — and environmental factors, such as a wet floor or an unsecured throw rug, said Roberta Newton, a noted fall expert and physical therapy professor at Temple.
March 23, 2011 | Philadelphia Inquirer