JFSF Vol 1, No 1, March 2016, p.13-14
doi: 10.22540/JFSF-01-013
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Mini Review Article
Assessing falls in the elderly
Dimitrios G. Economopoulos
- Golden Jubilee National Hospital, Orthopaedic Department, Glasgow, U.K.
Keywords: Falls, Prevention, Elderly
Abstract
The incidence of falls is increasing proportionally with age and is related
with high rates of disability and frailty. Falls are considered the leading
cause of death in the elderly and are often multifactorial in origin. They are
also linked with older adults losing their confidence and independency.
Furthermore they are associated with increased funding spent for hospital
extended stays, carer time and absence from work. Taking into account that the
population is ageing, thus the number of people older than 65 will increase
considerably in the near future, it is easy to understand that costs are really
likely to increase further. It is therefore important to address that problem
and instead of focusing especially on treatment to concentrate on prevention as
well.