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Fall Prevention


Physiotherapy for Fall Prevention




Prevalence
According to the statistics from Elderly Health Centre in 2017:
In 45000 community dwelling elders aged 65 or above, 10.1% experienced falls in last 6 months.

According to the Report of Unintentional Injury Survey 2018 by Department of Health, elderly injuries mainly caused by Fall

Report of Unintentional Injury Survey 2018

衛生署調查：32萬人一年內最少受傷一次　獨居者家居損傷多非獨居者近兩倍 (19:00) - 20210818 - 港聞 - 即時新聞 - 明報新聞網 (mingpao.com)


Risk factors of fall
The causes of falls are multifactorial, including age, sex, fear of falling, impaired cognition and sarcopenia.

Behavioral/Medical Conditions
(difficult to modify)		Physical Problems
(modifiable with proper rehabilitation)		Environmental Problems
(patient-specific advice)
Behavior:
  • Overestimate one's ability
  • low safety awareness
Sarcopenia
(i.e. muscle wasting and weakness)
  • Need to walk on stairs or steps
  • Lack of appropriate adaptations (e.g. rails in the toilet, stair rails)
  • Poor lighting, glare, shadows
  • Tripping hazards (e.g. rugs)
  • Inappropriate use of or refusal to use assistive device
  • Unsuitable clothing or footwear
  
Medicinal side effects:
  • Feel dizzy, prone to fall
  • Lethargic
  • Less alert
  • Slow or unstable movement
Balance Problems
  • Proprioception impairment
  • Vestibular problems
  • Inappropriate walking aids
  • Joint pain & deformities will also affect balance
  
Other medical conditions
  • Visual impairment
  • Dizziness- vestibular dysfunction
  • Incontinence
  • Comorbidities (e.g. Stroke, Parkinsonism, Cancer)

Consequences of fall