Falls in Older People: Risk Factors and Strategies for Prevention

by Stephen R. Lord , Catherine Sherrington , Hylton B. Menz , Jacqueline C. T. Close

• ISBN13: 9780521680998
• ISBN10: 0521680999
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-03-19
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Since the first edition of this very successful book was written to synthesise and review the enormous body of work covering falls in older people, there has been an even greater wealth of informative and promising studies designed to increase our understanding of risk factors and prevention strategies. This new edition is written in three parts: epidemiology, strategies for prevention, and future research directions. New material includes the most recent studies covering: balance studies using tripping, slipping and stepping paradigms; sensitivity and depth perception visual risk factors; neurophysiological research on automatic or reflex balance activities; and the roles of syncope, vitamin D, cataract surgery, health and safety education, and exercise programs. This new edition will be an invaluable update for clinicians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, researchers, and all those working in community, hospital and residential or rehabilitation aged care settings.

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	p. vii
Acknowledgements	p. xi
Epidemiology and risk factors for falls	p. 1
Epidemiology of falls and fall-related injuries	p. 3
Postural stability and falls	p. 26
Gait characteristics and falls	p. 50
Sensory and neuromuscular risk factors for falls	p. 70
Psychological factors and falls	p. 90
Medical risk factors for falls	p. 101
Medications as risk factors for falls	p. 133
Environmental risk factors for falls	p. 151
The relative importance of falls risk factors: an evidence-based summary	p. 161
Strategies for prevention	p. 173
Exercise interventions to prevent falls	p. 177
Exercise interventions to improve physical functioning	p. 204
Medical management of older people at risk of falls	p. 240
Assistive devices and falls prevention	p. 264
Modifying the environment to prevent falls	p. 300
Prevention of falls in hospitals and residential aged care facilities	p. 311
A physiological profile approach to falls risk assessment and prevention	p. 333
Research into practice	p. 357
Research issues in falls prevention	p. 377
Falls in older people: future directions for research	p. 379
Index	p. 388
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