Falls in Older People: Risk Factors and Strategies for Prevention

by Stephen R. Lord , Catherine Sherrington , Hylton B. Menz

• ISBN13: 9780521589642
• ISBN10: 0521589649
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-12-11
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

The first edition of this very successful book was written to synthesize and review the large body of work covering falls in order people. Since then, there has been an even greater wealth of informative and promising studies designed to increase our understanding of falls risk factors and prevention strategies. The book is written in three parts: epidemilogy and falls risk factors, strategies for prevention, and future research directions. New material covers studies of tripping, slipping and stepping that accurately reflect situations in which people fall, and recent research on visual, neuropsychological and medical risk factors. The book also reviews the numerous new randomized controlled trials that have examined the effects of exercise, visual, cardiovascular and environmental interventions in preventing falls. The new edition will be an invaluable update for medical practitioners, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, researchers, health service managers and healthcare workers in the disciplines of public health, injury and occupational health. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Stephen R. Lord is Senior Principal Research Fellow at the Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute, Sydney Catherine Sherrington is Australian Research Training Fellow at the Schools of Public Health and Physiotherapy, University of Sydney Hylton B. Menz is Senior Research Fellow at the Musculoskeletal Research Centre, La Trobe University, Bundoora Jacqueline C. T. Close is Consultant in Geriatric Medicine, Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Part I Risk factors for falls
Epidemiology of falls and fall-related injuries	3	(14)
Postural stability and falls	17	(23)
Sensory and neuromuscular risk factors for falls	40	(15)
Medical risk factors for falls	55	(27)
Medications as risk factors for falls	82	(14)
Environmental risk factors for falls	96	(11)
The relative importance of falls risk factors: an evidence-based summary	107	(14)
Part II Strategies for prevention
Overview: Falls prevention	119	(2)
Exercise interventions to prevent falls	121	(25)
Modifying the environment to prevent falls	146	(8)
The role of footwear in falls prevention	154	(12)
Assistive devices	166	(14)
Prevention of falls in hospitals and residential aged care facilities	180	(10)
The medical management of older people at risk of falls	190	(16)
Modifying medication use to prevent falls	206	(9)
Targeted falls prevention strategies	215	(6)
A physiological profile approach for falls prevention	221	(18)
Part III Research issues in falls prevention
Falls in older people: future directions for research	239	(6)
Index	245