Did you know that falls are the sixth leading cause of death in older adults?1 This month’s special analysis email is a focus on falls. Who is at risk? What are the environmental hazards?
Fall Prevention – Best Practices
- Assessment & Care Planning
- Staff Education
- – Direct Care Awareness
- – Environment Awareness
- Patient/Family Education
- Technological Devices
- Reporting and Benchmarking
- Mobility/Strength Building Program
What’s at Stake?
Injuries
– Most common in persons 85 years of age and older
– Leading cause of injury deaths for people 65 and older
– Cause 87% of all fractures
– Second leading cause of spinal cord and brain injury
Who’s at Risk?
The Elderly
– The largest percentage of falls annually
– 30% of adults over 65 report falls each year
– The number of falls increases with age
Patient Factors
- Sensory Loss
- Depression/Cognitive Impairment
- Previous Falls
- Dehydration/Poor Nutrition
- Dementia
- Cardiovascular
- Orthostatic Hypotension
- Medication/Poly-pharmacy
- Incontinence
- Disruptive Sleep Cycle
1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web–based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. Accessed August 15, 2013.
* Minimum N=300; Fall rates greater than the National average; Patients have a maximum of 35 illnesses/categories to choose from. Please note that patients may have more than one comorbid illness.
* Minimum N=300; Fall rates greater than the National average; Patients have a maximum of 35 illnesses/categories to choose from. Please note that patients may have more than one comorbid illness.