The Center For Disease Report

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported that more than one third of adults 65 and older fall each year. Half of the elderly people, who fall, do so repeatedly. Aside from the health problems related to falls, nearly $20 billion of direct medical costs are associated with fatal and non-fatal falls (Larson & Bergmann, 2008).

Every year, about one third of everyone over the age of 65 falls, and do not report it to their doctors. Falls are the leading cause of fatal and nonfatal injuries in older people (Falls Among Older Adults). Falls become more common as people age because their bones become more brittle and their muscle mass decreases. In society today, the baby boomers are aging, which means falls will continue to increase in frequency. When a person falls, it doesn’t just affect the victim; it affects everyone. In 2012, approximately $30 billion went towards medical costs that were associated with falls (Falls Among Older Adults). To prevent more people being injured and more money being spent, there has to be a change.

Falls among any individual can cause significant trauma, often leading to an increase in mortality. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2012), one in every three adults over the age of 65 falls each year. Long-term care facilities account for many of these falls, with an average of 1.5 falls occurring per nursing home bed annually (Vu, Weintraub, & Rubenstein, 2004). In 2001, the American Geriatric Society, British Geriatric Society, and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Panel on Falls Prevention published specific guidelines to prevent falls in long-term

Exercises and physical activity have been associated with numerous health benefits including reducing incidences of falls and injuries among the elderly and the geriatric population. Appropriately exercise programs and cardiovascular fitness in older people improve strength and balance. The interventions included strengthening, endurance, balance, flexibility exercises, Tai Chi, stand up/step down procedure and walking exercises. In the first research, the findings were that program targeting balance, leg strength, and freezing gait were only effective in people with milder illnesses, as opposed to more serious disorders like Parkinson’s disease. The study was done for a period of 2 years. In the second research, the findings showed that a multi-component enhanced physical performance of the community indwelling adults but did not translate to psychological outcomes or reduced rates of falling.

The incidence of fall-related injuries in the elderly U.S. population will continue to increase (Quigley, Neily, Watson, Wright, & Strobel, 2017).

Falls are a common and complex geriatric syndrome that cause considerable mortality, morbidity, reduced functioning, and premature nursing home admissions. Falls have multiple precipitating causes and predisposing risk factors, which make their diagnosis, treatment, and prevention a difficult clinical challenge. Identifying effective interventions to prevent falls and fall-related injuries among older adults is a major area of research and policy development in geriatrics. Several published clinical guidelines review the evidence for fall prevention strategies and provide recommendations for assessment and intervention (Rubenstein & Josephson, 2006).

In recent years, western civilization has adopted Tai Chi as not only a physical activity, but also a highly recommended rehabilitation method. Within physical therapy, Tai Chi is looked upon as an intervention to improve balance and reduce the risk of falls.1 Since the aging adult experiences a decline in balance and more than one-third of those 65 years and older experience a fall related incident each year, it is logical to purport that regular participation in Tai Chi may be an ideal exercise program for the geriatric population.2 However, is Tai Chi physically and cognitively suitable for all elderly individuals? What factors should the Physical Therapist consider before recommending Tai Chi? Though the initial idea

In USA, one in three adults over age 65 suffer fall while 20% to 30% experience moderate to severe injuries (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). In 2010, the cost of falls among elderly people for US health care system was over $30 billion (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2010). Over the last few decades the rate of fall related deaths in USA has sharply been escalating. Many older adults have developed the fear of falling, limiting their social activity and forcing them to live in fear. Some adults suffer lacerations, fracture and trauma during fall, deteriorating their quality of life.

Falls are considered a leading cause of mortality and injury among older adults and majority of the falls occurs while hospitalized. One would think being in the hospital would be one of the safest places for older adults as far as fall prevention is concern due to the fact that hospitals provide staffing around the clock for patients but more and more falls have been occurring in the hospital especially in the older adult population. Fall is an unintended descent to the ground. It raises public and family care liability; it also decreases patient’s functioning because it causes pain and suffering, and increases medical costs (Saverino et al, 2015). The Center for Disease Control

Medical expenses in United States are increasing at an enormous pace. One of the highest expenditure of its expenses is used toward the care of elderly US senior citizens. Elderly people are vulnerable to many diseases, but one of the incidents that the elderly people are prone to is fall. As a person grows older, chances of fall increases. Elderly person have weaker bones, and a damages caused by a fall can have a huge impact on an elderly person’s health. Falls are the leading cause of injury related visit to emergency department and primary etiology of accidental deaths among elderly people. Emergency department visits related to falls are more common in children less than five years of age and adults 65 years of age and older. Compared

‘A fall is an event that results in a person coming to rest inadvertently on the ground or floor or other lower level’.[1] In Maryland, each year more people 65 or older die from falls and associated complications than motor vehicle accidents & suicide combined, making it the leading cause of injury related death and admission to hospital in this age group. [2] To address this problem and as part of the ongoing revision of the current prevention protocols, this memo is written to the office of Dr Sharfstein, the Secretary Maryland department of health and mental hygiene

When individual ages it is inevitable, however falls can be avoidable when taking the correct precautions and safety modifications in ones home. Over the past few decades the lifespan of older individuals have increased. Nursing homes or assisted living facilities have been the answer for people who are less independent. However, some older adults remain in their homes and become the targets of falling. Falls are one of the leading causes of death in older adults 65 and older. Older individuals who experience falling are at risk for serious injuries or fatality. A falls prevention program is necessary to be idealistic for older individuals to prevent, reduce, and eliminate the number of falls so a person can experience a healthy

Falls are a major source of death and injury in elderly people. For example, they cause 90% of hip fractures and the current cost of hip fractures in the US is estimated to be about 10 billion dollars (Kato, Izumi, Hiramatsu, & Shogenji, 2006). Ensuring patient safety is one of the main reasons given for use of restraints. However, according to Jech (2006), the use of physical restraints is unlikely to prevent falls. Physical restraints, such as tie-down restraints, wheelchair belts, or bed rails are used to keep the patient safe, to keep patients from wandering off, falling, or if they are being combative. Also, it does not necessarily follow that using restraints in

Yoo, Kim, Yim, and Jeon (2016) found out that lack of exercise produces poor muscle tone which causes pain and sprains. limited ROM-pain 2 points -Osteoporosis management -early morning wakening the intake of arthritis medication and painkillers, walking discomfort, physical activity, and the safety score of their home environments. In the factors influencing falls of frail elderly individuals in urban areas, stroke, visual impairment, and the fear of falling were significant explanatory variables. In the factors influencing falls of frail elderly individuals in rural areas, dizziness, walking discomfort and the fear of falling were significant explanatory variables. Physical activity/activity levels

Tai Chi has a significant contribution to fall prevention for older adults living in community-dwelling.