Fall-Risk Evaluation and Management: Challenges in Adopting Geriatric Care Practices

One third of older adults fall each year, placing them at risk for serious injury, functional decline, and health care utilization. Despite the availability of effective preventive approaches, policy and clinical efforts at preventing falls among older adults have been limited. In this article we pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Gerontologist 2006-12, Vol.46 (6), p.717-725
Main Authors: Tinetti, Mary E., Gordon, Catherine, Sogolow, Ellen, Lapin, Pauline, Bradley, Elizabeth H.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accident Prevention
Accidental Falls - economics
Accidental Falls - prevention & control
Accidental Falls - statistics & numerical data
Accidents
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Chronic Illness
Elderly
Fall-risk evaluation
Falls
Falls interventions
Falls prevention
Geriatric Assessment
Geriatrics
Health Care Costs
Health care expenditures
Health care policy
Health Care Services Policy
Health Care Utilization
Health Conditions
Hospitals
Humans
Injuries
Medical sciences
Medicare
Miscellaneous
Older Adults
Older people
Prevalence
Prevention
Preventive approaches
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Risk Assessment
Risk Factors
Risk Management
Risk Management - methods
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Description
Summary:One third of older adults fall each year, placing them at risk for serious injury, functional decline, and health care utilization. Despite the availability of effective preventive approaches, policy and clinical efforts at preventing falls among older adults have been limited. In this article we present the burden of falls, review evidence concerning the effectiveness of fall-prevention services, describe barriers for clinicians and for payers in promoting these services, and suggest strategies to encourage greater use of these services. The challenges are substantial, but strategies for incremental change are available while more broad-based changes in health care financing and clinical practice evolve to better manage the multiple chronic health conditions, including falls, experienced by older Americans.
ISSN:0016-9013
1758-5341
DOI:10.1093/geront/46.6.717