Information for Researchers and Educators

Environmental Management

Assessments

• Taking Action to Prevent Falls: A Home Environmental Assessment: A checklist for identifying problems and potential solutions within the home. This checklist goes through key problem areas and fall hazards, providing a framework for addressing these issues via both resident and assessor involvement. (PDF or Excel File)

Tools You Can Use

• Gerontological Society of America: Online search for topics related to fall prevention.
• Guideline for the Prevention of Falls in Older Persons: Detailed article about the risk factors for falling and recommended interventions.” (PDF)
• Prevention of Falls in the Elderly Population: Facts about falls in elderly Canadians as well as detailed preventative measures for persons in various physical stages. (PDF)
• "Promising Pathways: Falls Prevention Programs for Older Canadians Living in the Community" A Handbook of Best Practices: Handbook designed for professionals and others who work with seniors and veterans in the community and is based on a comprehensive review of falls prevention programs around the world. (PDF)

Websites

• National Resource Center for Safe Aging: This website contains a wealth of falls-related information for public health professionals, with links to many other useful sites.
• www.homemods.org: This site offering information about home modifications and how to promote independence and prevent accidents in the home.

Articles

• Utilization of a Screening Tool to Identify Homebound Older Adults at Risk for Falls: Validity and Reliability - This report from Home Health Care Services Quarterly examins the reliability and validity of a Falls Risk Assessment (FRA) tool developed to identify risk factors associated with falls in homebound older adults. (PDF)
• A Best Practices Guide for the Prevention of Falls Among Seniors Living in the Community: Results of study to review fall prevention programs and practices resulting in evidence for effective approaches for reducing injury among seniors, as well as efficient means of delivering prevention programs.
• Abstracts and Articles: A list of articles about fall prevention.
• Epidemiology of Falling: List of links about risk factors for falling, documentation of falls in nursing homes and more.
• Falls In The Elderly: Analysis on determining and treating the underlying cause of falls.
• Preventing Falls in Older Californians: State of the Art (Preconference White Paper): White paper outlining the significance of injurious falls to older persons, best practices to reduce fall risk, screening for fall risk and descriptions of appropriate interventions tailored to individual needs. (PDF)
• Creating a California Blueprint for Fall Prevention (Conference Proceedings): White paper discussing the scope of the problem of fall prevention, interventions in California, other system-wide interventions and effecting change in California.(PDF)
• Preventing Falls: Which Intervention Is Most Effective? Outlines several interventions that have successfully reduced the incidence of falls among elderly people living at home.
• Research Papers on Falls Prevention: List of links to many research papers about fall prevention.
• Research Review Papers: Review includes risk factors and prevention strategies, role of excerise in reducing falls, role of medication modification in fall prevention and the role of environment at home and the community in fall prevention. (PDF)

Bibliography

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Close J, Ellis M, Hooper R et al. Prevention of falls in the elderly trial (PROFET): a randomized controlled trial. Lancet 1999;353:93-97.

Cumming RG, Thomas M, Szonyi G et al. Home visits by an occupational therapist for assessment and modification of environmental hazards: a randomized trial of falls prevention. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 1999;47:1397-1402.

Falls and Fall-Related Injuries. This is a list of articles pertaining to the topic of falls in this issue of Generations: Journal of the American Society on Aging, Winter 2002-03.

Gordon M, Huang M, Gryfe CI. An evaluation of falls, syncope and dizziness by prolonged ambulatory cardiographic monitoring in a geriatric institutional setting. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 1982;30:6-12.

Hornbrook MC, Stevens VJ, Wingfield DJ et al. Preventing falls among community-dwelling older persons: results from a randomized trial. Gerontologist 1994;34:16-23

Jensen J, Lundin-Olsson L, Nyberg L et al. Fall and injury prevention in older people living in residential care facilities. Annals of Internal Medicine 2002;136(10):733-41.

Leipzig RM, Cumming RG, Tinetti ME. Drugs and falls in older people: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Am Geriatr Soc 1999;30:40-50.

McMurdo ME, Millar AM, Daly F. A randomized controlled trial of fall prevention strategies in old peoples' homes. Gerontology 2000;46:83-87.

Neutel CI, Perry S, Maxwell C. Medication use and risk of falls. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety 2002;11(2):97-104.

Nygaard HA. Falls and psychotropic drug consumption in long-term care residents: Is there an obvious association? Gerontology 1998;44(1):46-50.

Oliver D, Hopper A, See P. Do hospital fall prevention programs work? A systematic review. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2000;48:1679-1689.

Rantz MJ, Popejoy L, Petroski GF et al. Randomized clinical trial of a quality improvement intervention in nursing homes. Gerontologist 2001;41(4):525-38.

Ray WA, Thapa PB, Gideon P. Benzodiazepines and the risk of falls in nursing home residents. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2000;48(6):682-85.

Rubenstein, L. The clinical effectiveness of multidimensional geriatric assessment. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 1983;31(12):758-62.

Rubenstein, L., Solomon, D., Roth, C. et al. Detection and management of falls and instability in vulnerable elders by community physicians. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2004; 52(9):1527-1531.

Rubenstein LZ, Robbins AS, Josephson KR et al. The value of assessing falls in an elderly population: A randomized clinical trial. Annals of Internal Medicine 1990;113(4):308-16.

Saliba, D., Elliott, M., Rubenstein, L., Solomon, D. et al. The vulnerable elders survey: a tool for identifying vulnerable older people in the community. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 2001; 49(12):1691-1699.

Stevens VJ, Hornbrook MC, Wingfield DJ et al. Design and implementation of a falls prevention intervention for community-dwelling older persons. Behavior and Health in Aging 1992;2:57-73.

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Tennstedt, S. Editor. Falls and fall-related injuries. Generations: Journal of the American Society on Aging, Winter 2002-03.

Thapa PB, Gideon P, Cost TW et al. Antidepressants and the risk of falls among nursing home residents. New England Journal of Medicine 1998;339(13):875-82.

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Wagner EH, LaCroix AZ, Grothaus L, et al. Preventing disability and falls in older adults: A population-based randomized trial. Am J Pub Health 1994;84:1800-1806.