Recently Published Resources on Falls Prevention – In the Community and in Hospitals (BMJ / NHS Improvement / NIHR / JAMA Internal Medicine)

Summary

There are uncertainties about the effectiveness of environmental interventions to reduce risk of falls among older persons living in the community. A BMJ systematic review covers the options, coming down in favour of occupational therapist-led environment risk assessments and modifications:

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Reference

Pighills, A. Drummond, A. [and] Crossland, S. [et al] (2019). What type of environmental assessment and modification prevents falls in community dwelling older people? BMJ. March 14^th 2019; 364: l880.

Resources on Falls Reduction in Hospitals

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Reference

Falls prevention resources. London: NHS Improvement, March 2019.

Exercise and Physical Activity Guidelines for Older Adults

A recent systematic review found that long-term exercise interventions decrease the risk of falls:

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Reference

Ong, T. [and] Wilcock, G. (2019). Long-term exercise programmes reduce falls and injuries in older adults. [Online]: NIHR Signal, March 19^th 2019.

This relates to:

Full Text Link (Note: This article requires a suitable Athens password, a journal subscription or payment for access). 

Reference

de Souto Barreto, P. Rolland, Y. [and] Vellas, B. [et al] (2018). Association of long-term exercise training with risk of falls, fractures, hospitalizations, and mortality in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine. December 28^th 2018. [Epub ahead of print].