Falls, Fall Injuries, and their Prevention among Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Falls, fall injuries, and deaths from falls among community-dwelling older adults are on the rise. Certain population subgroups (i.e., men, non-Hispanics) are more likely to die from a fall. Due to the high cost of fall injury care, the public health burden of falls is substantial and growing. Despite evidence-based tools such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths and Injuries (STEADI), best practices for fall prevention are not routinely reaching those who stand to benefit.
While frequent, falls are not an inevitable part of aging. Falls are, however, a threat to the health, independence, and well-being of older adults and generate anxiety and burden for caregivers. This Article Collection seeks to address translational (i.e., applying evidence in primary care practice) and evidence gaps in fall injury prevention, providing new insights into how to improve care and reduce the burden of falls and fall injury care.
Guest advisors
Dr. Elizabeth A. Phelan(University of Washington)
Elizabeth A. Phelan, MD, MS, is a Professor of Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine at the University of Washington. She is the Project Director of the Northwest Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Center and founding director of the UW Medicine Fall Prevention Clinic. She is a clinically active, board-certified geriatrician, and her research aims to promote health and prevent functional decline in community dwelling older adults through improving the quality of care for geriatric syndromes.