Introduction
Fall risk reduction is an important goal of any professional involved in the field of physical therapy, especially those working with a geriatric patient population. This site is devoted to educating health care professionals to better assess and reduce fall risk for various patient populations.
Why do we need to know this?
- 30-40% of all community dwelling adults age 65+ fall at least once/year
- 20% deaths >65 year old are fall-related
- >50 falls occur during ambulation
- Falls are the leading cause of death in long term care settings
- Estimated healthcare cost in 2020 for falls: $43.8 billion
- Between 12 – 67 % of elderly adults who fracture a hip die within one year
- For more information, see the CDC Journal Articles
Overview
To help those involved in therapeutic settings reach these goals, after reading and completing the activities on this site, clinicians will understand:
- How the Systems Theory of Balance impacts therapeutic interventions
- Common pathologies and conditions which can adversely affect balance
- The impact of commonly-prescribed medications on balance
Specific Objectives
- Clinicians will identify the systems involved in the Systems Theory of Balance
- Clinicians will match specific medical conditions to their potential impact on balance
- Students will identify common medications that affect balance and the medications’ impact on physical therapy interventions
Navigating the Site
- Each of the three main pages on this site (Systems Theory of Balance, Pathologies/Conditions, and Medications) includes content and links associated with the topics.
- To navigate through the content, you can access the pages by using the links or menu and then working through the information.
- After you have completed each page, you can work through the associated quiz questions.
- You can complete any or all of the pages, as they are designed in a modular fashion.
- If you have any questions, please contact Linda Bird, Content Developer.
Additional Resources
CDC provides links to pertinent Journal articles.
Fall Risk Reduction 