Falls in the elderly: what can be done?
Articles > Article ยท 2007
Authors: Asiye AKYOL
International Nursing Review, Journal Indexed in SCI Expanded, International, WoS, 2007, vol 54, pp 191-196
DOI: 10.1111/j.1466-7657.2007.00505.x
Summary
AIM: This article gives information about falls in the elderly. BACKGROUND: The evaluation of an older patient who has fallen includes a focused history with an emphasis on medications, risk factors and physical examination. The article also discusses the aetiology and prevention of falls. CONCLUSION: Risk factors for falls in the elderly include increasing age, medication use, cognitive impairment and sensory deficits. To reduce the incidence of patient falls, clinicians and researchers have developed a variety of risk assessment tools to aid in the identification of patients at greater risk of falling.