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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 19, 2010
For Further Information
Erin Weller
212-308-1414 x 329
American Geriatrics Society, British Geriatrics Society Release
Updated Guidelines to Prevent Falls Among Older Adults;
Fall-Related Injuries Are Top Cause of Death For Seniors in US
New York, NY - The American Geriatrics Society (AGS) and the British Geriatrics Society (BGS) today released new guidelines aimed at preventing serious and potentially deadly falls among older adults. Roughly a third of Americans 65 and older fall each year, and 10 to 20 percent of those who fall suffer moderate to severe injuries that limit their mobility and threaten their independence. Fall-related injuries are one of the leading causes of death for older Americans, accounting for more than 10,000 deaths annually.
"Numerous studies have found that several types of interventions are effective at reducing the incidence of falls," says the AGS' Mary E. Tinetti, MD, of Yale University Medical School, one of the world's leading experts on falls among the elderly. "There is also evidence that some fall prevention interventions reduce the incidence of related injuries, emergency department visits, hospitalizations, nursing home placement, and functional losses among older adults.
"While we know that prevention can work, we need to do more to ensure that all seniors actually get screened for falls and, if necessary, receive appropriate interventions to prevent falls," continues Dr. Tinetti, who, with the BGS' Rose Anne Kenny, MD, and the AGS' Laurence Rubenstein, MD, co-chaired the multidisciplinary panel that updated the guidelines. "That's our goal with these new guidelines."
"The challenge now is to embed these practical guidelines into healthcare services for the growing older population at risk, in a sustainable and effective way," Dr. Tinetti adds. "We also need to continue research that will enable us to further understand contributors to falls among the aging."
The online guidelines are now available at http://www.americangeriatrics.org/education/cp_index.shtml. They recommend a multi-factorial fall risk assessment for all older adults who have had a fall, who have been identified as having gait and balance problems, or who report difficulties with gait or balance. The guidelines include a clinical algorithm that outlines, step-by-step, recommended evaluations and interventions, and emphasize the key role of evidence-based strength and balance training in effective multi-factorial interventions. The guidelines reaffirm the central role of evidence-based strength and balance training in effective multi-factorial interventions.
Each step in the guidelines algorithm includes links to both general and specific recommendations. Accompanying annotations offer brief discussions of the research supporting each recommendation, evaluate this research employing a U.S. Preventative Services Task Force rating system, and grade the strength of the recommendations. In cases where data were insufficient or existing literature ambiguous or conflicting, recommends are based on the consensus of the panel following extensive discussion.
The new guidelines update an earlier set that the AGS, BGS, and American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons published in 2001. The updated guidelines evaluate and consider new evidence and analyses that have become available over the last nine years. They differ from the 2001 guidelines in several ways. Some of the falls "risk factors" listed in the 2001 version -- including "depression" -- don't appear on the 2010 list. The new list, however, includes additional risk factors, including "neurological impairments other than dementia" not included in the 2001 guideline. There are changes in recommended interventions as well. If an older adult is found at risk of falling, the new guidelines call, among other things, for both an assessment of his or her home by a healthcare professional, and interventions to eliminate falls risk factors found in the home and prevent falls. The earlier guidelines called for the assessment but didn't explicitly recommend the intervention.
Organizations endorsing the guideline include the American College of Emergency Physicians, the American Medical Association, the American Occupational Therapy Association, and the American Physical Therapy Association.
ABOUT THE AGS
Founded in 1942, the American Geriatrics Society (www.americangeriatrics.org) is a non-profit organization of more than 6,400 healthcare professionals whose shared mission is to improve the health, independence and quality of life of older people. Our vision for the future is that all older adults will have access to quality healthcare that meets their unique needs. To achieve this, the Society focuses on: advancing eldercare research; enhancing clinical practice in eldercare; raising public awareness of the healthcare needs of older people; and advocating for public policy that ensures older adults access to quality, appropriate, cost-effective care. The Society is a pivotal force in shaping practices, policies and perspectives in the field.
ABOUT THE BGS
The British Geriatrics Society (BGS) was founded in 1947 and is a membership association of doctors, nurses, therapists, scientists and others with a particular interest in the care of the frail older person and in promoting better health in old age. Visit: www.bgs.org.uk
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