Fall Risk Assessment for Older Adults

Falls are a common problem in older adults. About a third of people who live at home and half of those in nursing homes fall at least once a year, leading to injuries such as broken bones, head injuries, and disability.

Risk factors for falls include mobility problems, balance disorders, chronic health conditions, and impaired vision. Most of these factors can be reduced through exercise, medication changes, and getting a physical exam from your healthcare provider.

CDC recommends annual screening for all adults 65 years and older and a multi-factor assessment to determine the risk of falls. This focuses on the following factors: age, body weight, medications, vision problems, health status (including diabetes), and environmental hazards.

A variety of tests are used to assess the patient's fall risk, such as timed up and go, gait speed, and a cognitive test. These tools can help detect falls and prevent serious injury or death.

TUG: The Timed Up and Go test measures the amount of time it takes the patient to walk 10 feet at their normal pace. A higher time is a sign of high fall risk.

Personal Medical alarm This paper reviews six tools that are suitable for use in the primary care setting, based on their representations of predictive performance and sensitivity. They include: TUG, gait speed, Berg Balance Scale, Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment, Functional Reach test, and falls history.