Falls in older people
One third of people aged over 65 fall each year. Falls are not an inevitable part of ageing, but the risks increase with age and are multifactorial. Falls can have serious consequences, causing fractures and head injury and resulting in prolonged hospital admissions, reduced mobility, fear of further falls, increased need for social support, and sometimes complete loss of independence and institutionalisation.
We have grouped together a series of peer-reviewed articles from Nursing Older People and Primary Health Care exploring different aspects of falls prevention and management.
Simulation-based training to teach nurses skills in falls assessment and prevention
A simulation-based training course was designed to support the development of nurses’ skills...
A qualitative study of primary healthcare professionals’ views of falls prevention
Falls in older people are a major cause of hospital admissions. Primary healthcare...
Nutritional strategies to reduce falls risk in older people
A literature review found an association between increased falls risk and malnutrition,...
Measurement of lying and standing blood pressure in hospital
Measuring lying and standing blood pressure (BP) is an important clinical observation in...
Preserving vision and promoting visual health in older people
Reduction in vision is not inevitable but a manageable consequence of getting older. Some...
Applying comprehensive geriatric assessment to investigate falls
This is the second article in a short series that presents case study examples of the use of...
Assessment and prevention of falls in older people
In June 2013 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence updated and replaced its...
The effect of visual impairment on patients’ falls risk
When older people fall it can result in injuries and adversely affect quality of life....