Falls in older adults

Falls in older adults
Classification and external resources
Specialty	geriatrics
ICD-10	R29.6
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Falls in older adults are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality and are an important class of preventable injuries. The cause of falling in old age is often multifactorial, and may require a multidisciplinary approach both to treat any injuries sustained and to prevent future falls. Falls include dropping from a standing position, or from exposed positions such as those on ladders or stepladders. The severity of injury is generally related to the height of the fall. The state of the ground surface onto which the victim falls is also important, harder surfaces causing more severe injury. Falls can be prevented by ensuring that carpets are tacked down, that objects like electric cords are not in one's path, that hearing and vision are optimized, dizziness is minimized, alcohol intake is moderated and that shoes have low heels or rubber soles.

A review of clinical trial evidence by the European Food Safety Authority led to a recommendation that people over age 60 years should supplement the diet with vitamin D to reduce the risk of falling and bone fractures. Falls are an important aspect of geriatric medicine.

Researchers have tried to create a consensual definition of a fall since the 1980s. Tinneti et al defined a fall as "an event which results in a person coming to rest unintentionally on the ground or other lower level, not as a result of a major intrinsic event (such as a stroke) or overwhelming hazard.” Other definitions are more inclusive and do not exclude "major intrinsic events" as a fall. Such falls are clearly of accidental origin, which might include a large number of causes, such as slips, trips and over-balancing.

A 2006 review of literature identified the need for standardization of falls taxonomy due to the variation within research. The Prevention of Falls Network Europe (ProFane) taxonomy for the definition and reporting of falls aimed at mitigating this problem. ProFane recommended that a fall be defined as "an unexpected event in which the participants come to rest on the ground, floor, or lower level." The ProFane taxonomy is currently used as a framework to appraise falls-related research studies in Cochrane Systematic Reviews.

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