Many people don’t realize that falls are the number one cause of injuries — and injury death — in older Americans. One third of American Seniors fall each year, resulting in more than 2.3 million emergency room visits annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Falls in older adults can easily cause injuries, and lead to severe effects on physical and emotional quality of life. The CDC also lists these dangers of Falling:

Falls cause most fractures in older Americans, which include severe injuries like hip fractures

Falls are the most common cause of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) — which can also cause severe and fatal falls

Senior women are twice as likely to suffer fall-related fractures

Senior men are more likely than women to die from a fall

Falls in seniors can lead to a greater fear of Falling, which can lead to reduced physical activity and fitness — thus increasing the actual risk of falls and worsening quality of life

The economic cost of falls is high, too — about $30 billion in direct medical costs in 2010

The facts sound dire, but as the National Council on Aging points out, “alling is not an inevitable result of aging.” There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic: government programs are addressing falls as a public health issue, caregivers can take simple steps to reduce risks in the home and seniors themselves can take balance classes to improve fitness and mobility.