At what age do you stop "falling over" and instead "have a fall"?

[FleetwoodRaincoat]

A colleague of mine at work the other day tripped over and landed in a heap on the floor. The person who was telling what had happened described it as "she had a fall". It got me thinking about how we tend to say this about people of a certain age - but what age do think? Just interested in opinions.

Colleague was fine BTW, just her ego that was bruised!

A friend, aged 78, was at great pains to point she that her latest fall (three in two months requiring follow medical help) was caused by getting her foot caught in a bramble, not 'having a fall'. I was with her for the previous two - one tripping on a rock, and one falling up a kerb. Both while talking away and not paying full attention.

Technically she has had three falls, and I bet they are recorded that way on her medical record, but I'm with her on three trips. She does need to pay more attention and maybe be more careful and pick her feet up more than when she was younger, but she is still intrepidly out and walking rather than falling over in the bathroom.

If you fall and its a struggle to get back up, you have had a fall.

If you fall and get back up and hope no one saw, you fell over.

@NaToth

My GP thinks I "had a fall" when I was 61.

I think I tripped,

Yeh interesting. At some point the gp doesnt believe that you tripped.

Or if you are on a 999 TV show I think you can only fall from a ladder.

I love your user name @FleetwoodRaincoat, v clever [heart eyes]

Older people have falls, I agree.

If you need assistance getting up, you’ve had a fall. If you can get up unaided you fell over.

I fell over a garden chair yesterday. Last month I had a fall when my stupid knee gave way.

(Tongue in cheek) if people laugh and point, then you "fell over"; if they rush to help you and look concerned, you've "had a fall" smile
I like that definition.

Never!! I went flying recently on concrete. I just slipped out of one of my ballerina flats. Jumped up, as a bus was alongside 🤦🏻‍♀️ I just tripped over a concrete slab that was sticking up. I just fell over. I'm 56
My sister is nearly 70 and she'd go mad if someone said she'd 'had a fall'. She's the same as me, bloody fuss and bother, can't be doing with it!

When you hurt yourself and need medical attention you had a fall.

I read on here recently the point is when people, instead of laughing at you, rush over to check you are OK.

I fell over backwards,off a square wooden stool earlier today, I am 78,and repairing a large gap hole in my kitchen ceiling, I just stepped back a bit,and tipped over. So I fell over, and had a fall !

My 72 year old dad tripped in town recently. He explained what happened and it definitely wasn't an old age "fall" - it was more a lack of paying attention because he was watching what someone else was doing! He's fit and strong for his age and just got up and dusted himself off before someone could come to help. Some might have said he had a fall, but he definitely wouldn't agree!

DH tripped up a kerb and fell flat on his face. We teased him mercilessly about how he had 'a bit of a fall'. He's 55.
But I think seriously if you're falling over unexpectedly and for no apparent reason, you're having falls. Generally you must be at least ten years older than I am as well.

This is a really interesting question. I’m an occupational therapist and have to do ‘falls assessments’ regularly as part of my role for patients who have fallen recently or are at risk of falls. The way in which people describe their fall I think depends on how they view themselves. Patients feeling vulnerable, frail etc seem more likely to say ‘I had a fall’, which is more passive and something out of their control, whereas others will say ‘I fell over or tripped’. The latter group tend to recover from the psychological impact of falling more quickly, whereas for the former, a fear of falling again can persist for a long time and really limit their daily activities.

It's what they put in the medical notes when I had an incident at home whilst recovering from a motorcycle accident.

I think 70+ at least and I think it's a fall when there is no real reason for the fall. So you fell over/tripped on the clothes line you fell over whereas if you fall whilst walking across the living room then you've had a fall.

I'm in my 30s and get asked everytime I go to hospital if I've ever had a fall so I think it's whether it's a medical reason fall e.g. weak bones or migraines rather than just an accident e.g. tripping over the pavement.

Wow so many responses! The colleague I mentioned in my OP was 52, which I thought was far too young, but reading some of these replies it makes sense.

@Sparklehead very interesting about the wording being passive or active.

@FlibbertyGiblets thanks - your name's fab too!

In her 50s and 60s, DM broke an arm and leg in falls. One, she slipped on ice in a car park, the other was slipping on wet, mossy stone flagstones on a slope. Both had a clear cause and while there was injury due to osteoarthritis, it was the kind of slip/ fall that anyone can have. Around that time in my early 20s, I slipped on packed ice crossing a sideroad, fell onto my thigh and slid downhill across the road slamming knee first into a kerb. A few bruises, mainly to my pride. Unequivically falling over
MiL (late 80s) has recently "had a fall" which looks to have been due to dehyration rather than an external, environmental cause.

I'd say it's about environmental cause/ frailty rather than absolute age but by the time you go through 70s into 80s, most would become the passive "having a fall" rather than the active "falling over".

Depends really on the cause

Im clumsy
Literally hurt myself everyday
Walking into door frames seems to be my favourite thing to do everyday 🙈
And also burning myself on the cooker

I never use to do things like this and im not even 40….
Luckly i dont ‘fall over’

I relate ‘Having a fall’ to someone who is frail

Oh. I "had a fall" last week. I was out running and I tripped. I'm 51.

I'm thinking now if we would have described it as falling over had it happened to a younger runner. I don't think so?

That's an interesting observation and there is definitely a difference in the two terms.

At his retirement party, my uncle said he knew it was time to retire when clients greeted him with "you're looking well", as if they were surprised

Not sure, I always say I fell. Slightly off centre - does anyone else think that falling pregnant is a ridiculous phrase. Caps lock playing up so no proper punctuation in this message.

SiL and I were discussing exactly this just this morning. We decided that she had 5 years, which would make her 65yo.

I'm not elderly but am not fully mobile under my own steam. "Falling over" to me means I'll get myself up again. "Had a fall" is when I can't get up without help and injury.