Fall prevention programmes for older adults in the community: impact on rate of falls

Abstract

Falls are common in the elderly population (Al-Aama 2011) and occur in 30% of all people over the age of 65 every year (Lord et al. 2007). This contributes to 4,290 falls per 100,000 people in the United Kingdom per year (James et al. 2020). Falls can affect all aspects of an individual’s life, resulting in an increased chance of depression (Biderman et al. 2002), anxiety (Lavedán et al. 2018), reduced social participation (Pin & Spini 2016) increased morbidity and mortality (Berková & Berka 2018). The causes of falls in the community can be due to multiple factors such as a previous history of falls, gait problems, vertigo, and medication (Deandrea et al. 2010). A Cochrane review has demonstrated that physical activity can help to reduce the number and rate of falls (Sherrington et al. 2019). This review has since been updated to reassess the effectiveness of physical activity on reducing fall rates in older people and update World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines (Sherrington et al. 2020).