Assessing falls in the elderly

Abstract

The incidence of falls is increasing proportionally with age and is related with high rates of disability and frailty. Falls are considered the leading cause of death in the elderly and are often multifactorial in origin. They are also linked with older adults losing their confidence and independency. Furthermore they are associated with increased funding spent for hospital extended stays, carer time and absence from work. Taking into account that the population is ageing, thus the number of people older than 65 will increase considerably in the near future, it is easy to understand that costs are really likely to increase further. It is therefore important to address that problem and instead of focusing especially on treatment to concentrate on prevention as well.