Citation

Szanton SL, Hladek MD. JAMA Netw. Open 2021; 4(8): e2122325.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, American Medical Association)

DOI

10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.22325

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In a randomized clinical trial, Stark and colleagues1 found that removal of home hazards and tailored self-management strategies decreased fall rate among older adults at risk for falls. There were no differences in time to first fall or other prespecified outcomes of daily activity performance, falls efficacy, or self-reported quality of life.

Interventions to reduce fall rates are important because falls are hard to prevent and can be deadly. Even adjusting for population aging, mortality from falls has increased 30% from 2007 to 2016.2 The preventable and multifactorial causes for falls are well known but challenging to change. Most fall prevention programs are group exercise and education classes. Exercise, such as strength and balance training, is effective in preventing falls, but only 20% of individuals with fall risks consistently participate in these programs. For those who do participate, results diminish when participation ends

Language: en