Principles and practice of falls prevention in older people

Abstract

Two major contributing factors of human falls are the gravity and the longevity. Wilds et al. (1981) revealed that older adults who experienced falls had extremely lower mortality than those who did not fall. Falls can be interpreted as the consequences of weakened physical function or bad health condition, as well as a risk factor of health in older adults.

The number of deaths due to falls is now higher than that from traffic accidents. The number of deaths due to falls was 7,766 per year, while the number of traffic deaths was 6,060 per year in 2013, decreased from more than 15,000 per year in the past. Deaths due to falls are the consequences of fall–related : 1) fractures of proximal femur impairing physical function and requiring long–term care ; 2) head trauma ; 3) disuse syndrome ; or 4) worsened chronic diseases or complications.

Falls are considered as a yellow light (warning signal) of life. Prevention of falls can reduce fractures, head injuries, and related need for long–term care and deaths. Falls prevention is considered as an important element for achieving healthy life expectancy and reducing physical, mental, and economic burdens of individuals and society. In other words, prevention of falls in individuals can contribute to the prevention of falls in society (i.e., collapse of social systems). Through the prism of “falls”, we can deeply understand physical function, diseases, and disorders of older adults. From the standpoint of “falls prevention”, we can check and reconsider the current health care systems including the environment of our community. These considerations may lead to the development of new software/hardware.

It is strongly desired that a new academic field of “Falls Prevention Sciences” will be established through the practical and academic multidisciplinary efforts.