Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Interventions to Prevent Falls Among Older Adults

  • Chapter
Handbook of Injury and Violence Prevention

Falls consistently rank among the most serious problems facing older persons and cause a tremendous amount of morbidity, mortality, and disability (Brown, 1999; Nevitt, 1997; Robbins et al., 1989; Rubenstein, Josephson, & Robbins, 1994; Tinetti, Williams, & Mayewski, 1986). At least a third of community-dwelling people aged 65 years and older fall each year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2005; Campbell, Spears, & Borrie, 1990; Rubenstein & Josephson, 2002), and the rates in nursing homes and hospitals are considerably higher (Rubenstein & Josephson, 2002). In 2002 in the United States, falls were responsible for 12,800 deaths and 1.64 million visits to hospital emergency departments (EDs) (CDC, 2005). In addition to physical injury, falls can have major psychological and social consequences. Fear of falling and loss of self-confidence can cause seniors to limit their activities and lead to reduced mobility, decreased physical fitness, and increased fall risk (Brown, 1999; Clark, Lord, & Webster, 1993; Vellas, Wayne, Romero, Baumgartner, & Garry, 1997).

This chapter provides an overview of our current knowledge about fall risk factors, evidence for intervention strategies in various settings, implications for public health practice, and future research needs.

An erratum to this chapter is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/b136518_30

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Aditya, B. S., Sharma, J. C., Allen, S. C., & Vassallo, M. (2003). Predictors of a nursing home placement from a non-acute geriatric hospital. Clinical Rehabilitation, 17 (1), 108–113

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aronow, W. S., & Ahn, C. (1997). Association of postprandial hypotension with incidence of falls, syncope, coronary events, stroke and total mortality at 29-month follow-up in 499 older nursing home residents. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 45 (9), 1051–1053

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bakarich, A., McMillian, V., & Prosser, R. (1997). The effect of a nursing intervention on the incidence of older patient falls. Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing, 15, 26–31

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Barnett, A., Smith, B., Lord, S. R., Williams, M., & Baumand, A. (2003). Community-based group exercise improves balance and reduces falls in at-risk older people: A randomized controlled trial. Age & Aging, 32, 407–414

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bates, D. W., Pruess, K., Souney, P., & Platt, R. (1995). Serious falls in hospitalized patients: Correlates and resource utilization. American Journal of Medicine, 99 (2), 137–143

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bernstein, A. B., & Schur, C. L. (1990). Expenditures for unintentional injuries among the elderly. Journal of Aging Health, 2, 157–178

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bischoff, H. A., Stahelin, H. B., Dick, W., Akos, R., Knecht, M., & Salis, C., et al. (2003). Effects of vitamin D and calcium supplementation on falls: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Bone & Mineral Research, 18 (2), 343–351

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, A. P. (1999). Reducing falls in elderly people: A review of exercise interventions. Physiotherapy Theory & Practice, 15, 59–68

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, M., Norton, R., Lee-Joe, T., Cheng, A., & Campbell, J. (1996). The risks of hip fracture in older people from private homes and institutions. Age & Ageing, 25, 381–385

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, A. J., Robertson, M. C., Gardner, M. M., Norton, R. N., & Buchner, D. M. (1999). Falls prevention over 2 years: A randomized controlled trial in women 80 years and older. Age & Ageing, 28, 513–518

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, A. J., Spears, G. F., & Borrie, M. J. (1990). Examination by logistic regression modelling of the variables which increase the relative risk of elderly women falling compared to elderly men. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 43, 1415–1420

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carter, S. E., Campbell, E. M., Swanson-Fisher, R. W., & Redman, S. (1997). Environmental hazards in the homes of older people. Age & Ageing, 26, 195–202

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Centers for Injury Prevention and Control. (2005). Web-based injury statistics query and reporting system (WISQARS). Retrieved on February 8, 2005, from http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars

  • Chang, J. T., Morton, S. C., Rubenstein, L. Z., Mojica, W. A., Maglione, M., Suttorp, M. J., Roth, E. A., & Shekelle, P. G. (2004). Interventions for the prevention of falls in older adults: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. British Medical Journal, 328, 680–687

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chapuy, M. C., Arlot, M. E., Duboeuf, F., Brun, J., Crouzet, B., Arnaud, S., Delmas, P. D., Meunier, P. J. (1992). Vitamin D3 and calcium to prevent hip fractures in elderly women. New Engl and Journal of Medicine, 327, 1637–1642

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, R. D., Lord, S. R., & Webster, I. W. (1993). Clinical parameters associated with falls in an elderly population. Gerontology, 39, 117–123

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Clemson, L., Cumming, R. G., Kendig, H., Swann, M., Heard, R., & Taylor, K. (2004). The effectiveness of a community-based program for reducing the incidence of falls in the elderly: A randomized trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 52, 1487–1494

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Close, J., Ellis, M., Hooper, R., Glucksman, E., Jackson, S., & Swift, C. (1999). Prevention of falls in the elderly trial (PROFET): A randomized controlled trial. Lancet, 353, 93–97

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cumming, R. G., Thomas, M., Szonyi, G., Salkeld, G., O’Neill, E., Westbury, C., & Frampton, G. (1999). Home visits by an occupational therapist for assessment and modification of environmental hazards: A randomized trial of falls prevention. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 47, 1397–1402

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cumming, R. G. (1998). Epidemiology of medication-related falls and fractures in the elderly. Drugs & Aging, 12 (1), 43–53

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cumming, R. G., Kelsey, J. L., & Nevitt, M. C. (1990). Methodologic issues in the study of frequent and recurrent health problems. Falls in the elderly. Annals of Epidemiology, 1, 49–56

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cummings, S. R., Nevitt, M. C., & Kidd, S. (1988). Forgetting falls. The limited accuracy of recall of falls in the elderly. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, 36, 613–616

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Day, L., Fildes, B., Gordon, I., Fitzharris, M., Flamer, H., & Lord, S. (2002). Randomised factorial trial of falls prevention among older people living in their own homes. British Medical Journal, 325 (7356), 128–133

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deitrick, J. E., Whedon, G. D., & Shorr, E. (1948). Effects of immobilization upon various metabolic and physiological functions of normal men. American Journal of Medicine, 4, 3–36

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ensrud. K. E., Blackwell, T., Mangione, C. M., Bowman, P. J., Bauer, D. C., Schwartz, A., Hanlon, J. T., Nevitt, M. C., & Whooley, M. A. (2003). Centeral nervous system active medications and risk for fractures in older women. Archives of Internal Medicine, 163, 949–957

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, D., Hodgkinson, B., Lambert, L., Wood, J., & Kowanko, I. (1998). Falls in acute care hospitals: A systematic review. Adelaide, Australia: Joanna Briggs Institute for Evidence Based Nursing and Midwifery

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, R. G., Barer, M. L., & Marmor, T. R. (1994). Why are some people healthy and others are not?: The determinants of health of populations. New York: Aldine

    Google Scholar 

  • Finkelstein, E. A., Chen, H., Miller, T. R., Corso, P. S., & Stevens, J. A. (2005). A comparison of the case-control and case-crossover designs for estimating medical costs of non-fatal fall-related injuries among older Americans. Medical Care, 43, 1087–1091

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Folman, Y., Gepstein, R., Assaraf, A., & Liberty, S. (1994). Functional recovery after operative treatment of femoral neck fractures in an institutionalized elderly population. Archives of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, 75, 454–456

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gaebler, S. (1993). Predicting which patient will fall again … and again. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 18, 1895–1902

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gardner, M. M., Buchner, D. M., Robertson, M. C. & Campbell, A. J. (2001). Practical implementation of an exercise-based falls prevention programme. Age & Ageing, 30 (1), 77–83

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gillespie, L. D., Gillespie, W. J., Robertson, M. C., Lamb, S. E., Cumming, R. G., & Rowe, B. H. (2003). Interventions for preventing falls in elderly people (Cochrane Database Systematic Review). In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 3, 2003. Chichester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

    Google Scholar 

  • Gluck, T., Wientjes, H. J., & Rai, G. S. (1996). An evaluation of risk factors for in-patient falls in acute and rehabilitation elderly care wards. Gerontology, 42 (2), 104–107

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Greenleaf, J. E. (1984). Physiological responses to prolonged bed rest and fluid immersion in humans. Journal of Applied Physiology, 57, 619–633

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Haines, T., Benneil, K., Osborne, R., & Hill, K. (2004). Effectiveness of a targeted falls prevention program in a sub-acute hospital setting. British Medical Journal, 328, 676

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hangar, H., Ball, M., & Wood, L. (1999). An analysis of falls in the hospital: Can we do without bedrails? Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 47, 529–531

    Google Scholar 

  • Hendrich, A., Nyhuis, A., Kippenbrock, T., & Soja, M. E. (1995). Hospital falls: Development of a predictive model for clinical practice. Applied Nursing Research, 8 (3), 129–139

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, K., Vrantsidis, F., Haralambous, B., Fearn, M., Smith, R., Murry, K., Sims, J., & Dorevitch, M. (2004). An analysis of research on preventing falls and falls injury in older people: Community, residential and hospital settings. Canberra, Australia: National Ageing Research Institute

    Google Scholar 

  • Inouye, S. K., Wagner, D. R., Acampora, D., Horowitz, R. I., Cooney, L. M., & Tinetti, M. E. (1993). A controlled trial of a nursing-centred intervention in hospitalized elderly medical patients: The Yale Geriatric Program. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 41 (12), 1353–1360

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hornbrook, M. C., Stevens, V.J., Wingfield, D. J., Hollis, J. F., Greenlick, M. R., & Ory, M. G. (1994). Preventing falls among community-dwelling older persons: Results from a randomized trial. The Gerontologist, 34 (1), 16–23

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jarrett, P. G., Rockwood, K., Carver, D., Stolee, P., & Cosway, S. (1995). Illness presentation in elderly patients. Archives of Internal Medicine, 155, 1060–1064

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, J., Lundin-Olsson, L., Nyberg, L., & Gustafson, Y. (2002). Fall and injury prevention in older people living in residential care facilities. Annals of Internal Medicine, 136, 733–741

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Judge, J. O., Lindsey, C., Underwood, M., & Winsemius, D. (1993). Balance improvements in older women: Effects of exercise training. Physical Therapy, 73 (4), 254–262, 263–265

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kannus, P., Parkkari, J., Niemi, S., Pasanen, M., Palvanen, M., Jarviven, M., & Vuori, L. (2000). Prevention of hip fracture in elderly people with use of a hip protector. New England Journal of Medicine, 343, 1506–1513

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kiely, D. K., Kiel, D. P., Burrows, A. B., & Lipsitz, L. A. (1998). Identifying nursing home residents at risk for falling. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 46, 551–555

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Koepsell, T. D., Wolf, M. E., Buchner, D. M., Kukull, W. A., LaCroix, A. Z., Tencer, A. F., et al. (2004). Footwear style and risk of falls in older adults. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 52, 1495–1501

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kramer, B. J., Courtright, M. E. K., & Smith, P. (2004). Creating a California blueprint for fall prevention. Long Beach, CA: Archstone Foundation

    Google Scholar 

  • Lauritzen, J. B., Petersen, M. M., & Lund, B. (1993). Effect of external hip protectors on hip fractures. Lancet, 341, 11–13

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Leipzig, R. M., Cumming, R. G., & Tinetti, M. E. (1999). Drugs and falls in older people: A systematic review and meta-analysis: I. Psychotropic drugs. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 47, 30–39

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lord, S. R., Caplan, G. A., & Ward, J. A. (1993). Balance, reaction time, and muscle strength in exercising older women: A pilot study. Archives of Physical & Medical Rehabilitation, 74 (8), 837–839

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lord, S. R., Castell, S., Corcoran, J., Dayhew, J., Batters, B., Shan, A., & William, P. (2003). The effect of group exercise on physical functioning and falls in frail older people living in retirement villages: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 51, 1684–1692

    Google Scholar 

  • Lundin-Olsson, L., Nyberg, L., & Gustafson, Y. (2000). The mobility interaction fall chart. Physiotherapy Research International, 5 (3), 190–201

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lundin-Olsson, L., Jensen, J., Nyberg, L., & Gustafson, Y. (2003). Predicting falls in residential care by a risk assessment tool, staff judgement, and history of falls. Aging Clinical Experimental Research, 15 (1), 51–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Mathias, S., Nayak, U. S., & Isaacs, B. (1986). Balance in elderly patients: The “get-up and go” test. Archives of Physical & Medical Rehabilitation, 67, 387–389

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McMurdo, M. E. T., Millar, A. M., & Daly, F. (2000). A randomized controlled trial of fall prevention strategies in old peoples’ homes. Gerontology, 46, 83–87

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morse, J. M., Black, C., Oberle, K., & Donahue, P. (1989). A prospective study to identify the fall-prone patient. Social Science & Medicine, 28 (1), 81–86

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Murdock, C., Goldney, R., Fisher, L., Kent, P., & Walmsley, S. (1999). A reduction in repeat falls in a private psychiatric hospital. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Mental Health Nursing, 7, 111–115

    Google Scholar 

  • National Council on the Aging Center for Healthy Aging. (2005). Falls free: Promoting a national falls prevention action plan: National action plan. Retrieved October 20, 2005, from http://www.healthyagingprograms.org/content.asp?sectionid=69&ElementID=220

  • Nevitt, M. C., Cummings, S. R., Kidd, S., & Black, D. (1989). Risk factors for recurrent nonsyncopal falls. A prospective study. Journal of the American Medical Association, 261, 2663–2668

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Nevitt, M. C. (1997). Falls in the elderly: Risk factors and prevention. In J. C. Masdeu, L. Sudarsky, & L. Wolfson (Eds.), Gait disorders of aging: Falls and therapeutic strategies (pp. 13–36). Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven

    Google Scholar 

  • Nikolaus, T., & Bach, M. (2003). Preventing falls in community-dwelling frail older people using a home intervention team (HIT): Results from the randomized Falls-HIT trial. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 51 (3), 300–305

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nygaard, H. A. (1998). Falls and psychotropic drug consumption in long-term care residents: Is there an obvious association? Gerontology, 44 (1), 46–50

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Oleske, D. M., Wilson, R. S., Bernard, B. A., Evans, D. A., & Terman, E. W. (1995). Epidemiology of injury in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 43 (7), 741–746

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Perell, K. L., Nelson, A., Goldman, R. L., Luther, S. L., Prieto-Lewis, N., & Rubenstein, L. Z. (2001). Fall risk assessment measures: An analytic review. Journal of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences & Medical Sciences, 56A (12), M761–M766

    Google Scholar 

  • Podsiadlo, D., & Richardson, S. (1991). The timed “Up & Go”: A test of basic functional mobility for frail elderly persons. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 39, 142–148

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Raina, P., Dukeshire, S., Chambers, L., Toivonen, D., & Lindsay, J. (1997). Prevalence, risk factors, and health care utilization for injuries among Canadian seniors: An analysis of 1994 National Population Health Survey (IESOP Research Report No. 15). Hamilton, Ontario, Canada: McMaster University

    Google Scholar 

  • Rand Corporation, Southern California Evidence-Based Practice Center. (2003). Evidence report and evidence-based recommendations: Fall prevention interventions in the Medicare population (Contract number 500-98-0281). Santa Monica, CA: Author

    Google Scholar 

  • Ray, W. A., Taylor, J. A., Meador, K., Thapa, P. B., Brown, A. K., Kajihara, H. K, Davis, C., Gideon, P., et al. (1997). A randomized trial of a consultation service to reduce falls in nursing homes. Journal of the American Medical Association, 278, 557–562

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Robbins, A. S., Rubenstein, L. Z., Josephson, K. R., Schulman, B. L., Osterweil, D., & Fine, G. (1989). Predictors of falls among elderly people. Results of two population-based studies. Archives of Internal Medicine, 149, 1628–1633

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Robertson, M. C., Devlin, N., Gardner, M. M., & Campbell, A. J. (2001). Effectiveness and economic evaluation of a nurse delivered home exercise programme to prevent falls. I: Randomised controlled trial. British Medical Journal, 322, 697–701

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rockwood, K., Await, E., Carver, D., & Macknight, C. (2000). Feasibility and measurement properties of the functional reach and the timed up and go tests in the Canadian Study of Health and Aging. Journal of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences & Medical Sciences, 5, M70–M73

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosendahl, E., Lundin-Olsson, L., Kallin, J., Jensen, Y., Gustafson, & Nyberg, L. (2003). Prediction of falls among older people in residential care facilities by the Downton Index. Aging Clinical & Experimental Research, 15 (2), 142–147

    Google Scholar 

  • Rubenstein, L. Z., Josephson, K. R., & Robbins, A. S. (1994). Falls in the nursing home. Annals of Internal Medicine, 121, 442–451

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rubenstein, L. Z., & Josephson, K. R. (2002). The epidemiology of falls and syncope. Clinical Geriatric Medicine, 18 (2), 141–158

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rubenstein, L. Z., Kenny, R. A., Martin, F. C., Tinetti, M. E., & the AGS-BGS-AAOS Panel on Falls Prevention. (2001). Guideline for prevention of falls in older persons. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 49, 664–772

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rubenstein, L. Z., Powers, C., & MacLean, C. (2001). Quality indicators for management and prevention of falls and mobility problems in vulnerable older persons. Annals of Internal Medicine, 135, 686–693

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rubenstein, L. Z., Robbins, A. S., Josephson, K. R., Schulman, B. S., & Osterweil, D. (1990). The value of assessing falls in an elderly population: A randomized clinical trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 113 (4), 308–316

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schoenfelder, D. P. (2000). A fall prevention program for elderly individuals. Exercise in long-term care settings. Journal of Gerontology Nursing, 26, 43–51

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, V., Dukeshire, S., Gallagher, E., & Scanlan, A. (2001). An inventory of Canadian programs for the prevention of falls and fall-related injuries among seniors living in the community (Monograph prepared for the Canadian Federal/Provincial/Territorial Committee of Official for the Ministers Responsible for Seniors): Ottawa, Ontario

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, V., Peck, S., & Kendall, P. (2004). Prevention of falls and injuries among the elderly: A special report of the Office of the Provincial Health Officer. Victoria, British Columbia: Ministry of Health Planning

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, H., Henschel, A., & Brozek, J. (1949). Effects of bed rest on cardiovascular function and work performance. Journal of Applied Physiology, 2, 223–239

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Thapa, P. B., Gideon, P., Brockman, K. G., Fought, R. L., & Ray, W. A. (1996). Clinical and biomechanical measures of balance as fall predictors in ambulatory nursing home residents. Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences, 51A (5), M239–M246

    Google Scholar 

  • Thapa, P. B., Gideon, P., Cost, T. W., Milam, A. B., & Ray, W. A. (1998). Antidepressants and the risk of falls among nursing home residents. New England Journal of Medicine, 339, 875–882

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tideiksaar, R. (2002). Falls in older people: Prevention & management. Baltimore: Health Professionals Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinetti, M. E. (1987). Factors associated with serious injury during falls by ambulatory nursing home residents. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 35, 644–648

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tinetti, M. E., Baker, D. I., McAvay, G., Claus, E. B., Garrett, P., Gottschalk, M., Koch, M. L., Trainor, K., & Horwitz, R. (1994). A multifactorial intervention to reduce the risk of falling among elderly people living in the community. New England Journal of Medicine, 331, 821–827

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tinetti, M. E., & Speechley, M. (1989). Prevention of falls among the elderly. New England Journal of Medicine, 320 (16), 1055–1059

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tinetti, M. E., Speechley, M., & Ginter, S. F. (1988). Risk factors for falls among elderly persons living in the community. New England Journal of Medicine, 319, 1701–1707

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tinetti, M. E., Williams, T. F., & Mayewski, R. (1986). Fall risk index for elderly patients based on number of chronic disabilities. American Journal of Medicine, 80, 429–434

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vellas, B.J., Wayne, S. J., Romero, L.J., Baumgartner, R. N., & Garry, P.J. (1997). Fear of falling and restriction of mobility in elderly fallers. Age & Ageing, 26, 189–193

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, S. L., Barnhart, H. X., Kutner, N. G., McNeely, E., Coogler, C., & Xu, T. (1996). Reducing frailty and falls in older persons: An investigation of tai chi and computerized balance training. Atlanta FICSIT Group. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 44 (5), 489–497

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geriatric Center, Veterans Affairs Medical Center-UCLA School of Medicine, Sepulveda, CA, 91343

    Laurence Z. Rubenstein MD (Director)

  2. Division of Unintentional Injury, CDC National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Atlanta, GA, 30341

    Judy A. Stevens PhD (Senior Epidemiologist)

  3. Ministry of Health Services, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

    Vicky Scott (Senior Advisor on Falls Prevention)

Authors
  1. Laurence Z. Rubenstein MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Judy A. Stevens PhD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Vicky Scott
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Laurence Z. Rubenstein MD , Judy A. Stevens PhD or Vicky Scott .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Atlanta, GA, 30341, USA

    Lynda S. Doll , Sandra E. Bonzo , David A. Sleet  & James A. Mercy , ,  & 

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Rubenstein, L.Z., Stevens, J.A., Scott, V. (2008). Interventions to Prevent Falls Among Older Adults. In: Doll, L.S., Bonzo, S.E., Sleet, D.A., Mercy, J.A. (eds) Handbook of Injury and Violence Prevention. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-29457-5_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-29457-5_3

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-85769-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-29457-5

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation