How to Protect Yourself From Falling as You Age

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg left the hospital Friday after falling and breaking three ribs, getting right back to work.

It wasn't the first time the 85-year-old had fractured ribs in a fall, and she's not alone. Falling down is a curse of aging as the average person over 65 takes a tumble at least once a year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

A frightening 227 falls were recorded over three years inside an assisted living facility. They surveyed that 24 percent of them fell just walking, while 12 percent were simply trying to sit down. 

At a Veterans Affairs hospital in Tampa, Florida, Tommy McNeil teaches how to fall safely. He told Inside Edition that when we're young, we instinctively reach out to stop a fall with our hands, but as our bones weaken with age, it's better to drop and roll. 

“As you're falling you want to try to lower your center of gravity. You don't want to reach out to stop yourself with your hands or knees,” he said. 

Should you fall, take your time getting up because you could be more hurt than you realize. Slowly move to your hands and knees, make sure you are not dizzy, and then crawl toward a support that will not slide from under you, like a chair.

RELATED STORIES