Physicians play ‘really important role’ in preventing falls across the lifespan

ByJanel Miller

Falls Prevention Awareness Week, which runs through Sept. 24, is an opportune time for physicians to talk to all patients about falls, which cost the U.S. at least $50 billion in health care costs annually, an expert said.

“It’s all about staying as independent as possible as we age and being able to do the things that we want to do when we get to our 60s, 70s and 80s and beyond,” Kathleen Cameron, BSPharm, MPH, senior director of the National Falls Prevention Resource Center within the National Council on Aging, told Healio Primary Care. “Physicians play a really important role in falls prevention efforts.”

An infographic that reads In the United States, the health care system spends an estimated $50 billion annually on costs associated with falls. — Reference: Florence CS, et al. *J Am Geriatr Soc.* 2018;doi:10.1111/jgs.15304.

Nearly one in four older Americans fall

A previously published survey indicated that 23% of Americans aged 65 years and older had experienced a fall in the past 12 months.

The Medicare annual wellness visit provides the perfect opportunity for physicians to discuss risk factors and ways to prevent falls with their older patients, Cameron said.

“Family members and friends may talk about falls with older adults, but when older adults hear about falls from a physician, they are going to pay more attention,” she said.

These conversations should encompass how medications, chronic illnesses, mental health disorders and items around the home such as rugs and stairs may increase one’s fall risk, Cameron said. The National Council on Aging’s 12-step “Falls Free Checkup” provides other ways to assess a person’s fall risk, as does the CDC’s STEADI tool, she added.

Younger adults also at risk

Data also suggest that it is not just older adults who need to worry about falls.

A survey of 18- to 20-year-olds in the U.S. showed that 48% fell at least once during a 16-week period, prompting the study’s authors to call for further research into falls among younger populations.

Kathleen Cameron

“We definitely should start talking about falls prevention much earlier,” Cameron said in the interview. “Falls prevention relates to healthy aging, and the earlier we can start with healthy aging, the better. There are a number of conditions that are correlated with increased falls risk, like heart disease, diabetes and arthritis, and [discussing] the importance of proper nutrition and weight management are also key.”

In recognition of Falls Prevention Awareness Week, Healio Primary Care has listed 10 stories that discuss risk factors for falls and ways to prevent them.

Older adults with hip osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain may be at risk of falls

According to researchers at the University of Delaware, older adults with concurrent hip osteoarthritis and chronic low back pain may be a high-risk group for accidental falls. Read more.

Risk for falls, fractures rises with diabetes

Adults with diabetes are at greater risk for experiencing traumatic fall events leading to fractures compared with healthy controls; identifying modifiable risk factors, such as medication use, may improve patient outcomes, data show. Read more.

High-dose vitamin D does not prevent falls among older adults

Among older adults with an elevated fall risk and low serum 25-dydroxyvitamin D levels, daily vitamin D3 supplementation at doses of 1,000 IU did not prevent falls compared with a 200 IU dose, according to a randomized clinical trial. Read more.

Denosumab may mitigate fall risk in osteoporosis

A post hoc analysis of five randomized controlled trials suggests that older adults with osteoporosis assigned denosumab therapy were 20% less likely to experience a fall during follow-up compared with those assigned placebo, according to findings published in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research. Read more.

Q&A: Toolkit reduces falls among hospitalized patients

A fall prevention toolkit that engaged hospitalized patients and their families was linked to fewer falls and injuries, according to research published in JAMA Network Open. Healio Primary Care spoke with one of the study’s co-authors to learn more about the toolkit and how it can be implemented at hospitals across the country. Read more.

Glaucoma patients have higher risk, fear of falls

To prevent falls, patient education, intervention and appropriate referrals are important to consider in older adults with glaucoma, according to findings published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology. Read more.

Better fall prevention includes prescribing conservatively in those at higher risk

Eyewear may impact some patients’ risk for falling; however, there are ways to potentially mitigate that danger, an expert said. Read more.

Q&A: PCPs can help ensure injuries are not a ‘normal part of aging’

Healio Primary Care spoke with an expert about a newly launched CDC campaign geared towards injury prevention and strategies to prevent falls, motor vehicle crashes and traumatic brain injury. Read more.

Take an active approach to fall prevention

In this editorial, Michael D. DePaolis, OD, FAAO, discusses the importance of “taking a more active approach to fall prevention.” Read more.

Alzheimer’s Association, others provide tips on how to discuss cognitive function, falls

Over the coming decades, the number of elderly Americans is expected to increase dramatically, and with that increase will likely come increases in the number of elderly patients experiencing falls and cognitive decline. Therefore, Healio Primary Care asked experts and reviewed the medical literature to find ways PCPs can discuss and curtail these occurrences among their patients. Read more.