New TILDA study shows one in eight older people in Ireland require medical attention for a fall each year
Posted on 11 February 2026
New research from TILDA shows that falls represent a major and growing challenge for Ireland’s health system, with tens of thousands of older adults requiring medical care each year.
The study, The DEFINED Study: Determining the burden of falls amongst community-dwelling older people in Ireland to inform falls care delivery, is published in the international journal BMJ Open .
Falls: a major and preventable health issue
Using nationally representative TILDA data, researchers found that::
- 1 in 8 people aged 70+ (12%) required medical attention for a fall within a 12-month period
- 1 in 16 (6%) attended an emergency department following a fall
- This equates to almost 62,000 older adults requiring medical care annually, with over 32,000 emergency department presentations
Falls are the most common cause of fractures among older adults and are a leading contributor to reduced mobility, loss of independence and hospital admission. Without appropriate intervention, individuals who fall once are at significantly increased risk of falling again.
Despite this, the study highlights important gaps in both prevention and access to specialist services.
Gaps in prevention and specialist care
The research found that:
- Over half of older adults presenting to emergency departments after a fall were prescribed medications known to increase falls risk, including drugs affecting balance, alertness or blood pressure
- More than one in five older people who required medical attention for a fall did not have access to a specialist falls assessment clinic
These findings suggest that opportunities for prevention and early intervention are being missed.
Ireland currently has one of the fastest ageing populations in Europe. Falls are already the most common reason for older adults to be admitted to hospital, and numbers are expected to rise significantly in the coming decades.
“Falls are often viewed as inevitable, but many are preventable”
Lead author Dr Robert Briggs, Consultant Geriatrician at St James’s Hospital and TILDA investigator, said:
“Falls are often viewed as inevitable, but many are preventable. Our findings show that large numbers of older people are falling, presenting to emergency departments, and in many cases taking medications that further increase their falls risk. At the same time, only a small number can access specialist falls services.”
Regius Professor Rose Anne Kenny, Head of Medical Gerontology at Trinity College Dublin and Principal Investigator of TILDA, added:
“Falls can be prevented, and yet, poor prevention and treatment approach for falls is concerning. However, as health services are being reorganised regionally w, we have an opportunity to address this escalating problem for all. This will reduce avoidable injury, hospital admissions and loss of independence in the majority.”
A call for coordinated national action
The authors note that Ireland currently has no national falls prevention strategy, despite strong international evidence that coordinated, multidisciplinary approaches can significantly reduce falls, fractures and pressure on emergency departments.
They argue that improving access to dedicated falls clinics, systematically reviewing medications that increase falls risk, and investing in strength, balance and cardiovascular prevention programmes should be central to planning services for an ageing population.
Most falls are preventable through appropriate assessment, medication review, and targeted strength and balance interventions.
Read the full study
The DEFINED Study: Determining the burden of falls amongst community-dwelling older people in Ireland to inform falls care delivery.
Available in BMJ Open: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12863362/
This work was supported by Health Research Board Ireland CSF-2023-008 'DEFINED: DEtermining Falls burden to INform carE Delivery'. TILDA is funded by the Department of Health, through the Health Research Board, and previously also by The Atlantic Philanthropies and Irish Life PLC.