Decade-by-decade comparison of mobility and falls in adults living in urban and rural Canada

Forty-six percent of older adults report problems with mobility and one third of Canadians fall each year, with fall rates increasing with older age. Being mobile and not falling are key to keeping adults independent and active in later life. With the expected increasing pace of aging in Canada, mobility limitations and falls and their related consequences, have very important implications and highlight the need to understand how mobility limitations and falls present and change across the lifespan. Our research will: 1) look at mobility and fall profiles decade-by-decade; 2) compare mobility and falls profiles of adults, decade-by-decade, living in rural versus urban areas of Canada; 3) identify any key issues specific to the rural setting that affect mobility limitations and number of falls. Our study will provide healthcare and policy decision makers with important information for interventions to address mobility limitations and falls across the lifespan for Canadian adults.