Parkland experts say older adult falls are common, often serious, preventable

Posted: 9/20/2021

Fall Prevention Week, Sept. 20-24, raises awareness of risks

Every year millions of adults age 65 and older fall, often with serious or even fatal consequences. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), fall rates and fall death rates have steadily increased among seniors. If the current trend continues, the CDC predicts seven Americans will die every hour as a result of a fall by the year 2030.

Falls account for more than 3 million injuries treated in the U.S. every year, including more than 850,000 hospitalizations and 29,000 deaths. At least 300,000 older adults suffer a hip fracture every year, most resulting from a fall.
"We know that one out of four older adults fall every year and many of them end up in an ER. Falls in seniors too often result in broken bones, like wrist, arm, ankle and hip fractures, or traumatic brain injury," said Courtney Edwards DNP, MPH, RN, CCRN, CEN, TCRN, NEA-BC
Director of Trauma Community Outreach at the Rees-Jones Trauma Center at Parkland Health & Hospital System.

In 2020, the Rees-Jones Trauma Center admitted 630 individuals (32% of all trauma admissions) after sustaining a fall. The average hospital stay for those patients was 6 days, with 18% requiring intensive care during their stay. The majority of falls (57%) occurred in the home environment, Edwards said, and those 65 years of age or older represented 35% of Parkland Trauma Center's admissions for falls.

"Unfortunately, only 75% of patients were able to be discharged home from the hospital," Edwards said. "The remaining 25% were discharged to rehabilitation facilities, skilled nursing or long-term care facilities, other organizations within the healthcare system, or died as a result of their injuries."
"Even if an older person isn't injured in a fall, it can increase their fear of falling and cause them to limit their everyday activities. And that sets up a vicious cycle - the less active they are, the weaker they become, and the higher their likelihood of falling," said Raja Paspula, MD, Board certified Geriatrician and Assoc Medical Director, Community Oriented Primary Care at Parkland. "That's why fall prevention is so important for our aging population."

Research has shown these risk factors make someone more likely to fall:
• Lower body weakness
• Vitamin D deficiency
• Difficulties with walking and balance
• Use of medicines like sedatives, antidepressants and other drugs that can affect balance
• Vision problems
• Foot pain or poor footwear
• Home hazards such as broken or uneven steps, throw rugs or clutter that can cause trips

"The good news is that these risk factors can be changed or modified. Fall prevention is the best strategy to avoid serious injuries," Dr. Paspula said.

Fall risk assessment and interventions like home assessments and education to help prevent falls in older patients is a key focus of Parkland's Geriatric Services team. Dr. Paspula recommends these tips for seniors to prevent falls:
• Do exercises to improve balance and strengthen your legs.
• Get regular eye exams and update your glasses yearly.
• Have your doctor or pharmacist review all your medicines, including over-the-counter drugs, as some can make you sleepy or dizzy.
• Get up slowly after you sit or lie down.
• Wear shoes indoors and outside, avoid going barefoot or wearing slippers.
• Improve your home's lighting and reduce glare indoors with lightweight curtains or shades.
• Consider wearing an alarm device that will bring help in case you fall and can't get up.

Parkland offers geriatric primary care services at six health centers throughout Dallas County, as well as at the Parkland Center for Geriatric Care & Healthy Aging located on the system's main campus. Specialists in the medical needs of older adults provide primary care and routine health check-ups, sick care and management of chronic diseases, along with nutrition and pharmacy support, foot care, physical therapy, social work assessment and referral to additional medical services or community agencies.

Parkland Senior Outreach Services cares for adults age 65 and over who live in the south and southeast areas of Dallas, funded by a grant from the Texas Department of State Health services. The key services include in-home review of the patients' needs with referrals to community agencies and health education; health outreach and screenings; and limited van transportation for qualifying adults living in the targeted ZIP codes.

Parkland's Senior HouseCalls Programs provides medical care to homebound patients age 65 and older and includes medical care, nutrition support, social work assessment and referral to community agencies.

The National Council on Aging offers a quick, free online quiz to check your own risk of falling at https://www.ncoa.org/article/falls-free-checkup. The CDC offers a home fall prevention checklist at https://www.cdc.gov/steadi/pdf/check_for_safety_brochure-a.pdf. For more information about Parkland's Geriatric Services, visit www.parklandhospital.com/geriatrics

< Back

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.