Chapter 4 Screening for Falls in Older Persons

Screening procedures may help to identify those older individuals more at risk for falls. Guidelines for fall prevention in older persons were jointly published by the (1) American Geriatric Society (AGS) on Falls in Older Persons, (2) British Geriatric Society (BGS), and (3) American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Panel on Falls Prevention. Authors of the guidelines noted a possible synergism with falls increasing “dramatically” as the number of risk factors increase (see relative risks [RR] or odds ratio [OR] under Rationale).

Remarkably, of the 11 risk factors for falls, five factors are particularly relevant to physical rehabilitation specialists: muscle weakness, gait deviations, balance deficits, assistive devices, and impaired ADL.

PROCEDURAL ISSUES

If patient reports one fall in a year during routine care:

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