Falls in older people: the role of assessment in prevention and care

Unsworth, John (2003) Falls in older people: the role of assessment in prevention and care. British Journal of Community Nursing, 8 (6). pp. 256-262. ISSN 1462-4753

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Abstract

Falls among older people constitute a serious public health problem, which has a substantial impact on both the person and on healthcare services. Falls assessment can be divided into a number of types. Community nurses are well placed to use falls risk checklists to identify older people who may be at risk of falling and then offer these individuals a more in-depth assessment. In addition, community nurses have a role to play in assessing older people who have recently fallen to prevent future falls and potential injury. Falls prevention programmes centre on the identification of risk factors and the planning and delivery of interventions designed to eliminate or ameliorate these risks. A falls assessment should include a review of intrinsic factors such as mobility, lower extremity functioning, vision, medications, footwear and past medical history. It is also important to consider extrinsic factors such as tripping, slipping and other environmental hazards.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	B700 Nursing
Department:	Faculties > Health and Life Sciences > Nursing, Midwifery and Health
Depositing User:	Becky Skoyles
Date Deposited:	05 Feb 2015 15:03
Last Modified:	12 Oct 2019 15:26
URI:	http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/id/eprint/19480

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