Introduction

Key Risk Factors

How to Prevent Falls

Prevention Tips

Fall Risk Assessment

Resource Links

Ideas That Work
 - Health Fair
 - Bulletin Article
 - Newsletter Article
 - Presentation
 - Prevention Programs

"Real" Intersection of Systems

Preventing Falls as You Age

References

Introduction

Preventing falls is important all of us, but it is especially important for those who are aging. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)i

• For people ages 65 and older, falls are the leading cause of injury death.
• Among seniors, falls are the underlying cause of a large proportion of fatal traumatic brain injuries. From 1989 to 1998, the fall-induced traumatic brain injury death rate among people ages 80 and older increased 60 percent.
• The risk of falling increases exponentially with age.
• Older adults who have fallen previously or who stumble frequently are two to three times more likely to fall within the next year.
• For people ages 65 and older, two-thirds to one-half of falls occur in or around the home.
• At least 95% of hip fractures among older adults are caused by falls.
• Fall-related death rates and hip fracture hospitalization rates have been increasing.
• Older adults are at higher risk for damaging falls that can lead to fractured hips and long stays in a long term care facility.

The CDC reports the following risk factors for falling based on recent researchii:

• Being female.
• Being white.
• Having had a previous fall.
• Having lower body weakness or gait or balance problems.
• Having physical limitations, wearing glasses, or having other visual problems.
• Having more than one chronic disease, history of stroke, Parkinson’s Disease, neuromuscular disease, urinary incontinence, or postural hypotension.
• Being cognitively impaired.
• Taking more than four medications or using psychoactive medications.
• Wearing shoes with thick, soft soles (e.g., jogging shoes).

Various interventions have been proven to be most effective at preventing fall-related injuriesiii. These include exercises that improve lower body strength and balance, medication review with modification, education about risk factors, reducing environmental hazards (e.g., putting in grab bars and removing tripping hazards), increasing the safety and fit of wheel chairs, and limiting the use of psychoactive drugs. In addition, ingesting calcium, along with vitamin D, is critical at all ages to maintain healthy bone.

In particular, home modifications are vitally important to preventing falls in wheelchair users. For instance, a 2004 Brown University study found that the presence of even one indoor modification, such as easy-to-open doors, in the home of a wheelchair user translated into fewer injurious falls. In surveying 525 wheelchair-using adults, 38 percent said they had fallen at least once in the past year, and 47 percent of those who fell reported that they had suffered a fall-related injury. Overall, 48 percent of people injured in a fall reported having no home modifications compared to 34 percent of those who did not experience a damaging falliv.