Care Providers Must Prevent Frail Older Adults From Falls

Frailty among older adults is known to be associated with a large variety of adverse health outcomes. Frail older adults are vulnerable to experiencing disability, falls, institutionalization, hospitalization, and increase in mortality. Among these risks, falls are the primary cause of mortality in older adults. Given that the older adult population is continuously expanding worldwide, preventing falls has become a major public concern. Factors that increase the risk of falling must be identified in order to prevent the occurrence of falls.

A recent study sought to examine frailty in older adults as an indicator of future falls. The study found that the frailer an older adult was, the greater risk he or she had of falling in the future. Moreover, frailty was shown to be a significant predictor of future incidence of falls.

The study’s findings suggest that caregivers of older adults need to be aware of the association between frailty and fall risk. Long-term care staff who are responsible for caring for older adults in nursing homes and assisted living facilities must be vigilant in preventing falls from occurring, being sure to equip residents’ environments with proper resources to prevent them from falling and handling frail residents with gentleness and care.