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Risk Factors

Falls are often the result of multiple factors related to the adult and his or her environment.  Studies have shown that the risk of falling increases dramatically as the number of risk factors increases. Tinetti, Speechley, and Ginter, respected researchers in the area of falls prevention, found that the percentage of persons falling increased from 19% for those with one risk factor to 78% for those with four or more risk factors.

To learn more, read Falls in older people: epidemiology, risk factors and strategies for prevention available at:  http://ageing.oxfordjournals.org/content/35/suppl_2/ii37.abstract

Risk factor
Muscle weakness
Prior falls
Balance deficit
Gait deficit
Use of assistive device
Visual deficit
Arthritis

Activities of Daily Living (ADL) deficit

Depression
Cognitive deficit
Age >80 years

Research at Yale University and other respected institutions has shown that treating and correcting specific health problems reduces the rate of falling by more than 30%. Learn how an older person with fall risk factors can benefit from treatment of those factors at: http://www.learnnottofall.com/content/yale-study.jsp