This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
What physicians need to know about preventing falls in older adults
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
More than 25% of older adults fall each year, but less than half of those individuals let their doctors know, according to the CDC.
These falls can result in broken bones or traumatic brain injury, which is most commonly caused by falls. Many falls are caused by a combination of various risk factors, according to the agency.
The CDC recommended health care providers focus on modifiable risk factors to prevent falls, including poor vision, postural dizziness, hazards at home, psychoactive medication use, issues with feet or shoes, lower body weakness and difficulty with balance and gait.
Marking Fall Prevention Awareness Day, Healio Internal Medicine presents the latest research on falls in older adults.
First-line antihypertensives, statins not associated with increased fall risk in older adults
First-line antihypertensives may be safer for older adults in terms of fall injuries, according to research presented at the American Geriatrics Society Annual Meeting. Read more.
Low-cost fall prevention program reduced falls in older adults
A low-cost program composed of existing services for seniors reduced falls by 17%, according to study results published in the American Journal of Public Health. Read more.
Benz odiazepine prescribing increased for older adults
In spite of safety concerns such as higher rates of falls, the use of benzodiazepines in adults aged 85 years and older in emergency departments and ambulatory clinics has increased, according to data published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Read more.
Older adults who only walk during errands have higher fall risk
Older adults who only walk during errands of necessity had a higher risk of falling compared with adults who walk recreationally, according to results of a recently published study. Read more.
Virtual reality training could help prevent falls in older adults
Combining virtual reality and treadmill training could help prevent falls in older adults better than treadmill training alone, according to research published in The Lancet. Read more.
Most older adults with prolonged concussion recovery report multiple symptoms
Concussion injury and recovery is substantially different in populations of middle-aged and older adults compared with military and athletic populations, according to research presented at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting. Read more.
Vitamin D supplements may reduce falls in older homebound adults
A vitamin D intervention delivered through a Meals-on-Wheels program improved vitamin D concentrations in older adults who were homebound, while also reducing their rate of falls, according to research in Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Read more.