Guidelines for Managing Falls among Elderly People

Abstract

Falling among elderly people is recognised as a serious problem for the health services as well as for elderly people's welfare. Nevertheless, the rehabilitative management, as opposed to the medical management, has received little systematic attention. This report describes the ‘Guidelines for the Collaborative Rehabilitative Management of Elderly People who have Fallen’. They have been drawn up and endorsed by three organisations of specialist rehabilitation clinicians. A national audit of the implementation of these guidelines is taking place, funded by the NHS Executive.

Development of a fall‐risk checklist using the Delphi technique

“…The presentations of findings from each round should be reported in a summarised format to indicate the relative standing of each opinion. Thus, authors summarised risk factors based on literature review findings into a nine‐category preliminary checklist encompassing the intrinsic risk factors of demographics, subjective and objective physical functions, state of nutrition cognitive functions and physical–mental disturbance; and the extrinsic risk factors of footwear worn, social support and indoor outdoor environments (Simpson et al. 1998, Feder et al.…”

Practice Development: Bridging the Research-Practice Divide through the Appointment of a Research Lead

“…■ The staff working with older people have developed their practice in line with best evidence for fall management and prevention, based on the Cochrane review and national guidelines, such as SIGN 56 (2002) and Simpson et al (1998). ■ The rheumatology staff have incorporated research evidence in relation to joint protection techniques into practice, establishing a group designed to educate patients on the principles of joint protection, and recently gained first prize for their poster presentation at the COT Specialist Section -Rheumatology conference.…”

A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Enhanced Balance Training Program to Improve Mobility and Reduce Falls in Elderly Patients

“…Individual exercises for EBT and CT groups were clearly described in these protocols, which adhered to national guidelines recommended by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. 15 A full explanation and practical demonstration of therapy techniques was given to ensure that therapists participating in the trial understood the key differences between the two interventions.…”