Osteoporosis and hip fractures rank right up at the top. Experts predict the number of hip fractures per year will keep going up and up as the Baby Boomers age. Anyone born between 1946 and 1964 is a Baby Boomer so this trend is likely to continue a long time.

It's already big business now. Hip fractures alone cost about eight billion dollars per year in the United States. Surgery, hospital costs, and nursing care are just the start. Half of all adults with a hip fracture can no longer walk alone. One-third becomes totally dependent in a nursing home.

Doctors and health care professionals are working hard to get the word out to help aging adults prevent falls and fractures. For more information on how to prevent osteoporosis and fractures contact the National Osteoporosis Foundation (http://www.nof.org) or the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/falls.htm.