Falls in older adults: Risk factors assessment prevention. A review

Falls are a common and complex geriatric syndrome that causes considerable mortality, morbidity, functional deterioration "fear of falling," and premature nursing home admissions. Falls have multiple causes and predisposing risk factors, which make their diagnosis, treatment, and prevention a difficult challenge. In recent years, much attention in research and health care has focused on identifying effective interventions to prevent falls and fall-related injuries among older adults. In particular, there have been a number of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews investigating the effectiveness of various packages of falls interventions. This article provides a brief overview of the epidemiology of falls, their major causes and risk factors, their assessment, the types of fall prevention interventions available, and a review of the latest evidence on the efficacy of these interventions.