The shock of falling among older Americans

TitleThe shock of falling among older Americans
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2017
AuthorsKelly, IRashad
JournalThe Journal of the Economics of Ageing
Type of ArticleJournal
ISSN Number2212828X
KeywordsDepressive symptoms, Falls, Health Conditions and Status, Health Shocks
Abstract

Direct medical costs associated with falls have been shown to be $34 billion in 2013, an underestimate since full costs are not factored in. Using the 1998-2012 waves of the Health and Retirement Study and several econometric methods to address the endogeneity of falls, this study seeks to answer the question of how much worse physical and mental health outcomes are for individuals who fall compared to their steadier counterparts. Results across various specifications suggest that falling leads to lower activities of daily living, more depression, and more psychological problems. It leads to greater probabilities of being in poor health, having heart problems, and having a stroke. These results survive several robustness checks.

URLhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212828X16300743?via%3Dihub
DOI10.1016/j.jeoa.2017.06.001
Short TitleThe Journal of the Economics of Ageing
Citation Key9190