A feature story on alcohol-related falls in the elderly quoted Gerald Pankratz, MD, clinical assistant professor, Geriatrics and Gerontology, who is a member of the interdisciplinary UW Health Mobility and Falls Clinic. 

As Wisconsin's population continues to age, with the 65-and-older population expected to double in the next 25 years, an increasing number of elders is at risk of alcohol-related falls - many of which are fatal. 

Dr. Pankratz urged vigilance about the risk of falls in older adults. 

“I think it’s human nature that people think things are going to be the same forever,” Pankratz said. “Of course, it’s not and until a disaster happens, oftentimes you don’t have any awareness that things have changed.” 

Resources:

• "Losing their footing: More Wisconsin seniors are drinking, falling and dying," The Cap Times, August 30, 2017