Authors' objectives:

This reviews provides a summary of the research evidence on the prevention of falls and subsequent injury in older people.

Authors' recommendations: The risk of falls increases with age. Falls in older people often result in injury and death. Such injuries, frequently fractures, are a common and costly cause of hospital admission. There is some evidence to suggest that exercise, such as balance training, is effective in reducing the risk of falls in older people. Access to such interventions should be offered and ways of promoting uptake should be investigated. New programmes should be part of controlled evaluations. Home visits and surveillance to assess and where appropriate, modify environmental and personal risk factors can be effective in reducing falls. This can be carried out by nurses, health visitors, occupational therapists or trained volunteers. Soft hip protector pads have been shown to dramatically reduce hip fractures in frail older people in residential care. Their effect and acceptability in the community needs further research. High dose Vitamin D supplementation with or without calcium appears to be effective in reducing fractures. Research is needed to identify the most cost-effective strategy.

Authors' methods: Systematic review

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/crd/ehcb.htm

Year Published: 1996

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: England

Organisation Name: University of York

Contact Address: University of York, York, Y01 5DD, United Kingdom. Tel: +44 1904 321040, Fax: +44 1904 321041,

Contact Name: crd@york.ac.uk

Contact Email: crd@york.ac.uk

Copyright: Centre for Reviews and Dissemination