The Effect Of Exercise On Fall Prevention Paper

In a classic definition, falls are untoward events which result in the person coming to rest unintentionally on the ground or another lower surface (Bok, et al., 2015). Falls, can be a devastating source of morbidity and mortality for the older adult. According to a Center for Disease Control (CDC) Report, “Falls Among the Older Adult,” more than one third of adults aged 65 and older fall each year in the United States and falls are the leading cause of injury deaths. Falls are also the most common cause of nonfatal injuries and hospital admissions for trauma in the older adult population (CDC Report). Unfortunately, the rate of fall-related deaths

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

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 DC, community based fall prevention programs have been rising to address falls but fall related incident, injuries and the cost has continuously been rising among elderly people (Costello & Edelstein, 2008). In the study conducted by Berland et al. (2012), showed that in home health, not viewing patient safety as primary prevention, lack of investigation causing fall and frailty of elderly adult have been some factors contributing to falls in home health. Falls negatively impacts an individual living in their home by causing them physical, emotional problem, giving rise to additional cost by losing workdays and income.

The evidence included in this summary is from Franco, J. R., Jacobs, K., Inzerillo, C., & Kluzik, J. (2012). The effect of the Nintendo Wii Fit and exercise in improving balance and quality of life in community dwelling elders. Technology & Health Care, 20(2), 95-115. The study addressed whether or not improving balance through exercise decreased the risk of falls. The study compared two types of exercise programs for improving balance; the Nintendo Wii Fit and the Matter of Balance program. The methodology included dividing residents of an independent living senior facility into three groups. The Wii Fit group and the Matter of Balance group consisted of 11 participants and the third group, the Control group, consisted of 10 participants. Results were determined based on one-way ANOVAS in which variation within each sample was compared to the variation between the samples to test whether there is greater variation between the groups. Assessments from the outcome measurements were not statistically significant according to the study. The Berg Balance Scale tool measured the pre and post balance of the participants resulting in little change with the strength of this assessment evidenced by (p=0.837). The Tinetti Gait and Balance Assessment of mobility, balance, gait, and fall risk of participants registered minimal pre and post change with the

According to the Joint Commission Resources-JCR (2005), there is no universally accepted definition of a fall. Thus several definitions have been floated over time in an attempt to define the same. One such definition of a fall is "an untoward event that results in the patient or resident coming to rest unintentionally on the ground or another lower surface" (Joint Commission Resources, 2005). Falls are regarded common causes of injury at every age. However, it is important to note that for seniors, falls can have serious consequences. This is more so the case given that a fall can bring about pain, trauma, or even death. With that in mind, the primary purpose of this program remains the reduction of falls and hence the aversion of related injuries amongst the concerned patients. Of key importance remains the identification of patients who appear to be at high risk of falling. This way, appropriate strategies can be developed to reduce the injuries related to inpatient falls.

Falling risks are increased in seniors with dementia, musculoskeletal disorders, neurologic conditions, vision and hearing loss, and those on multiple medications. Given this list, is it any wonder that more than 50

Falls are a serious problem on a national and global level, but falls do not have to be a fact of life in the aging process. Falls are almost entirely preventable. The topic of falls prevention was chosen as my research question for study due to several reasons. The first is that falls represent a serious problem for the aging community. Secondly, falls are preventable. Something can be done to reduce the number of falls experienced by elderly persons.

It is a fact that senior citizens are aging, and living longer, but, are they living a prolific, relevant life? According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (n.d, para. 1), one out of every three older people falls each year and the direct medical costs for fall injuries are $34 billion annually. It is evident as one search through several governmental websites, that there is not enough of information for the different types of balance screenings for fall-prevention. As Americans, our priority is to preserve health and provide a meaningful life

Exercises could be done individually or structured as group activities. Twice or three times per week, as part of CDC recommendation for all adults, supervised by trainer is ideal and proven to be more effective[1], [9].Exercises could also be integrated into the existing public gymnasiums with minor modifications. The types varied also from intensive cardio oriented exercises to those that can be done at a sitting or semi-sitting positions with out strenuous activity (focused on balancing & strengthening). In addition to the fall prevention, exercises encourages group work with strengthening of elderly peer support

This search has revealed several themes associated with the use of Tai Chi exercises in the prevention of falls. The first themes identified the differences seen in the activity level of the individual who are at risk of falling and the beneficial effect of implementing a Tai Chi exercise program that will lower the risk of falls seen among the elderly population. Tai Chi has shown a remarkable improvement in strength, balance and coordination in the elderly adult patients that lessen their chances of falling.

This evidence summary is based on organized search of the literature and evidence-based healthcare/nursing databases. The evidence included in this summary is from Sherrington, C., Tiedemann, A., Fairhall, N., Close, J., & Lord, S. (2011). Exercise to prevent falls in older adults: an updated meta-analysis and best practice recommendations. NSW Public Health Bulletin 22(4) 78-83. This systematic review update leverages off of an earlier study conducted in 2008, and the objective was to prove that exercise as a single intervention can prevent falls in elderly people. It included people living in residential care settings. The methodology used in this update was the same as the methodology used in the original study in 2008. This included a search of electronic databases like utilizing OVID to search MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL. For this update, databases were searched up to May 2010. Meta-regression analysis was applied to this study to explain variability between the two studies. The reason for this is that the new study

The scenario presents the case of a volunteer group that seeks to prevent falls in a community of persons older than 65 years. The group postulates that implementing exercise programs ((intervention) is likely to prevent falls occurrence. The fact that the discussion centers on what can be done to prevent falls in the at risk group, makes this an intervention

Falling in the elderly is often due to poor balance which results from decreased muscular strength, flexibility, and coordination (Yu and Yang, 2012). This loss of muscular strength and flexibility in seniors is thought to be due to a lack of exercise (Saravanakumar et al., 2014). One popular form of exercise among seniors is Tai Chi because it is a positive method for improving balance and flexibility; which can reduce the occurrence of falling in the elderly (Yu and Yang, 2012).

The second observation was that there was an overall improvement in levels of balance, gait, and overall function within the seniors. They were also reported as being in lifted spirits. Not only does the results of this research show that the therapy helped the senior adults, but also, that it not only helps with medical illnesses, but it can also help with general senior problems such as unease of balance, and hazy coordination. Krampe concludes to say, “Nursing and eldercare professionals can help move these programs into practice to reduce the detrimental burden caused by falls.” (33)