 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
|
| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Laurence Z. Rubenstein, MD, MPH, Sepulveda GRECC, VA GLAHS, 16111 Plummer St. (152), Sepulveda, CA 91343, 818-895-9311, lzrubens@ucla.edu
Falls among older people are common and are associated with high morbidity, high mortality, and cost. About one out of six disability days among older persons are precipitated by falls, as are a large proportion of nursing home admissions.
Falls have many identifiable causes and risk factors that can be used in planning prevention measures. The most important fall risk factors include: muscle weakness, gait & balance disorders, and vision and memory loss, functional impairment, and certain medications (e.g., psychotropics, diuretics, anti-arrhythmics and digoxin). Environmental risk factors in the home and community also contribute to falls, and are potentially modifiable.
Several types of intervention strategies have been shown in controlled trials to reduce risk of falls, and these have been verified in meta-analysis. The most powerful interventions include multi-factorial fall risk assessments with appropriate follow-up, targeted exercise programs, and environmental inspection and modification programs.
A clinical guideline was recently developed by the American and British Geriatrics Societies to assist health care professionals in using current evidence for assessing and reducing fall risk among older people. In addition, evidence-based quality of care indicators have been developed for measuring clinical performance in detecting fall risk and applying appropriate interventions among vulnerable elders.
Learning Objectives:
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.