Why, exactly, is fall prevention for the elderly so important? For starters, it is the leading cause of accidental death for those 65 years and older, approximately 33% of adults 65 years and older fall each year, a fall is the most common cause for a visit to the emergency room, and falls cause 90% of all hip fractures. Then, after a fall has occurred, 40% of those hospitalized for hip fracture do not return to independent living, nearly 20% will die within the year following, and seniors who fall once are two to three times more likely to fall again. Studies show exercises that build balance and lower-body strength reduce the risk of falls by 33%, which can be a simple solution to lower these statistics. This paper will focus on the interventions used to prevent falling accidents in elderly through the use of exercise programs that strengthen muscle, improve reaction time, and enhance movement mechanics.
A quick background on the more common risk factors that promote falling is needed to understand how they can be prevented in the first place. There are four main categories that each of these risk factors fall under: biological, psychological, behavioral, and environmental. Biological factors include muscle weakness, lack of balance, vision issues, and nerve/circulation problems. Muscle weakness is one of the more important risk factors because those who have not maintained muscle strength, flexibility, and endurance lack the tools needed to avoid injury. Those who have poor balance have difficulty walking, which makes them more susceptible to falling and those with poor vision are more unaware of their surroundings/ where they are stepping. Nerve and circulation problems can also hinder a person’s senses to where they c...
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...iencies, and strength is mandatory to complete everyday tasks. Additionally, balance is also needed for everyday responsibilities, especially walking/being mobile, and sensory-motor skills provide a person with awareness of their surroundings, as well as where their body is in space. The balance-focused exercises and programs all had characteristics of each of the five areas incorporated into their training, which is why I felt comfortable concentrating on the one area. The take-home message is this: falling is a very common, but very preventable act. Exercise should be a top priority for the elderly who wish to remain mobile and not at risk for injuries caused by a fall, but the type of exercise being completed matters. There should be components of flexibility, strength, posture, balance, and sensory-motor skill training in order to receive successful results.
The key objective of the project is to produce a report on fall among the geriatric population, which will help to improve an awareness and knowledge of the importance of lessens falls in elderly and encourage action to lower falls and related
As people age, they face difficulties with seeing and also with mobility, declines in their physiological systems impact balance, range and speed. These physiological problems can result in falls, which tend to be really problematic for the elderly living alone at home. The Hendrich II Fall Risk Model (HFRM) was used on Mr. T.C to assess his fall risk; this tool is used in acute care facilities to estimate the risk for falls in adults (Hendrich, 2013). The client scored a 6, any score exceeding a 5 is considered a high risk for fall. Being a male is one of the predetermined risk points that make one susceptible of falling as well their symptomatic depression, both which the client falls under. The Get-Up-and-Go Test is also a predetermined risk factor of HFRM; it determines the client’s ability to rise from a seated position. It took the client 3 attempts to fully stand up from a seated position.
Jones, D., & Whitaker, T. (2011). Preventing falls in older people: assessment and interventions. Nursing Standard, 25(52), 50-55.
Fatigue, decreased mobility and impaired balance from the rheumatoid and osteoarthritis pain also increases the risk of falls (Stanmore et al., 2013). Age related changes such as sarcopenia causes muscle tone and strength to decrease, especially in the lower limbs and as a result, balance and gait become impaired (Culross, 2008). These factors significantly influence the risk of falls and also affect the ability to carry out daily activities therefore, with a physiotherapists assistance, the nurse could introduce a personalised exercise regime to enhance muscle tone and strength (Culross, 2008). According to Neuberger et al (1997), exercise lessens fatigue and improves muscle tone and balance in older people. Recommending an exercise programme for Mrs Jones that incorporates strength training exercises and aerobics, could potentially improve muscle tone and strength and as a result improve mobility, balance and lessen the risk of falls (Bird, Pittaway, Cuisick, Rattray & Ahuja, 2013). The nurse could also suggest safety precautions such as advising Mrs Jones to use a mobility aid (Gooberman-Hill & Ebrahim,
The National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) for falls in long term care facilities is to identify which patients are at risk for falling and to take action to prevent falls for these residents. (NPSG.09.02.01). There are five elements of performance for NPSG: 1. Assess the risk for falls, 2. Implement interventions to reduce falls based on the resident’s assessed risk, 3. Educate staff on the fall reduction program in time frames determined by the organization, 4. Educate the resident and, as needed, the family on any individualized fall reduction strategies, and 5. Evaluate the effectiveness of all fall reduction activities, including assessment,
Wolf, S. L., Barnhart, H. X., Kutner, N. G., McNeely, E., Cooler, C., Xu, T. (1996). Reducing fraility and falls in older persons: an investigation of Tai Chi and computerized balance training. Journal of American Geriatrics Society, 44, 489-497.
A fall is an “untoward event which results in the patient coming to rest unintentionally on the ground” (Morris & Isaacs, 1980). When it comes to patient safety in health care, there isn’t any subject that takes precedence. Patient falls are a major cause for concern in the health industry, particularly in an acute-care setting such as a hospital where a patient’s mental and physical well being may already be compromised. Not only do patient falls increase the length of hospital stays, but it has a major impact on the economics of health care with adjusted medical costs related to falls averaging in the range of 30 billion dollars per year (Center for Disease Control [CDC], 2013). Patient falls are a common phenomenon seen most often in the elderly population. One out of three adults, aged 65 or older, fall each year (CDC, 2013). Complications of falls are quite critical in nature and are the leading cause of both fatal and nonfatal injuries including traumatic brain injuries and fractures. A huge solution to this problem focuses on prevention and education to those at risk. ...
A fall is a lethal event that results from an amalgamation of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors which predispose an elderly person to the incident (Naqvi et al 2009). The frequency of hospital admission due to falls for older people in Australia, Canada, UK and Northern Ireland range from 1.6 to 3.0 per 10 000 population (WHO 2012). The prevalence of senior citizen’s falls in acute care settings varies widely and the danger of falling rises with escalating age or frailty. Falls of hospitalized older adults are one of the major patient safety issues in terms of morbidity, mortality, and decreased socialization (Swartzell et al. 2013). Because the multi-etiological factors contribute to the incidence and severity of falls in older society, each cause should be addressed or alleviated to prevent patient’s injuries during their hospital stay (Titler et al. 2011). Therefore, nursing interventions play a pivotal role in preventing patient injury related to hospital falls (Johnson et al. 2011). Unfortunately, the danger of falling rises with age and enormously affect one third of older people with ravages varying from minimal injury to incapacities, which may lead to premature death (Johnson et al. 2011). In addition, to the detrimental impacts on patient falls consequently affect the patient’s family members, care providers, and the health organization emotionally as well as financially (Ang et al. 2011). Even though falls in hospital affect young as well as older patients, the aged groups are more likely to get injured than the youth (Boltz et al. 2013). Devastating problems, which resulted from the falls, can c...
Rosario, E. R., Kaplan, S. E., Khonsari, S., & Patterson, D. (2014). Predicting and assessing fall risk in an acute inpatient rehabilitation facility. Rehabilitation Nursing, 39(2), 86-93. doi:10.1002/rnj.114
Falls are the leading cause of injuries, disabilities, and deaths among community-dwelling older adults (Moyer, 2012). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2016), each year one out of three community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years or above falls at least once. There is a need to identify effective interventions pertinent to the primary-care setting to prevent falls among older adults living in the community. The guideline titled “Prevention of falls in community-dwelling older adults: U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement” is focused on determining the effectiveness and harms of different fall-prevention interventions relevant to primary care for adults aged 65 years or above (Moyer,
Occupational therapy is a profession that is concerned with promoting the health and well-being with people of all ages. Health and well-being is usually a major issue concerning the elderly. The following paragraphs will provide examples of how occupational therapy (OT) can help rehabilitate the elderly after certain illnesses and injuries and provide information on the different settings for rehabilitation. Mackenzie, Clemson, and Roberts (2013) discuss how falls among the elderly can be life threatening, but intervention from an occupational therapist before a fall happens can save the hospitals time and save the elderly from becoming injured. Mackenzie, Clemson, and Roberts state that “falls are the leading cause of accidental injury or death among the older population”(p.60). To solve this problem they be...
Fall can lead to serious injuries and death which, increase the health care cost. Hence prevention of fall is an important public health issue in the hospital for patient safety. We had many falls incidents reported in our unit every month. Therefore, it is essential to implement prevention strategies through multidimensional approach by interdisciplinary team. Through the proposed fall management program, we can reduce fall rate drastically.
In the geriatric population, falls remain one of the most common cause of nonfatal injuries. In the article “Fall Prevention for Older Adults” three kinds of falls are described: anticipated physiological falls, unanticipated physiological falls, and accidental falls. Anticipated physiological falls “occur among people who are at a high risk for falling.” (Lyons, 2004). For the resident BK, this is the type of fall she experiences. BK is at a high risk for falling. In the last six months, she has fallen three times. In her most recent fall on Sept. 25, 2015, she was in her room being assisted with dressing before breakfast. While she was holding her walker, she lost her balance and fell backward. This fall didn’t result in her losing consciousness, and at the time, didn’t cause her any
When taking steps to analyze and apply intervention strategies for falls, we must examine the factors that cause these occurrences. There are numerous reasons that falls occur, such as intrinsic and or extrinsic risk factors. Intrinsic risk factors for falls may be due to changes that are part of the normal aging process and acute or chronic conditions. According to Zheng, Pan and Hua et al. (2013), about 35-45 percent of individuals who are usually older than 65 years and other 50 percent of the elderly individuals report cases of fall every year. Extrinsic factors are those related to physical environment such as lack of grab bars, poor condition of floor surfaces, inadequate or improper use of assistive devices (Currie). Patient falls is not an easy thing to eliminate. With many clinical challenges, there’s no easy answer to the challenges posed by patient falls; howe...
The clinic I work in sees a wide variety of patients, from the pediatric to the geriatric, all with different reasons for needing physical therapy. Every day that I work has become a learning opportunity for me. I love watching the progress patients make and being a small part of their success. With each session, their confidence grows and they are able to progress to more difficult exercises. While the patients all have different injuries, almost all patients work on balancing exercises. Balancing exercises seem to be the most dreaded in our office because patients are afraid to let go of the bar in front of them. Although I am standing right there to catch them if they fall, they must trust themselves enough to let go of the bar and try to stand upright. The best part of taking a patient through balance exercises is watching their confidence grow. After a few sessions patients start to see the progress they are making and dread balance exercises a little