Falls Prevention Scanning Bulletin Volume 9 Issue 5

Promoting fall prevention among community dwelling older adults through activLife: a physical and social activation

Source: Journal of Population Ageing

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Date of publication: 12 February 2020

Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: Falls have been recognized as the second leading cause of injury or death for older adults. The related economic burden caused by fall related injuries is not negligible. Earlier research has demonstrated that regular participation in appropriate prescribed physical activity by improving upper and lower limb strength, balance, coordination, transfer skills, and reaction to environmental hazards can lower the risk for falls and fall-related fractures and other injuries. Conversely, physical inactivity can significantly double the risk of developing a disability, which will affect mobility as well as the ability to perform even the most basic activities of daily life, therefore, ultimately increases the older adults’ risk for falls.

This paper first presents a technological solution ActivLife that aims at preventing older adults from falling through practicing physical training in a safe and playful manner, followed by a randomized controlled study with 43 older adults with an average age of 77 for a period of 16 weeks in a social activation center het Ontmoet en Groethuys in Eindhoven, the Netherlands to demonstrate to what extent ActivLife could help to prevent falling among older adults.

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

Exploring enablers and barriers to accessing health services after a fall among people with intellectual disability

Source: Journal of Applied Research  in Intellectual Disabilities

Follow this link for the abstract

Date of publication: 10 February 2020

 Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: Adults with intellectual disability experience high rates of falls making falls prevention an important health need. The purpose of the study was to seek perspectives of older adults with intellectual disability and their caregivers to (a) explore the experiences of older adults with intellectual disability when seeking healthcare services after a fall and (b) identify enablers and barriers when taking up evidence‐based falls recommendations.

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

Twenty-four-hour, weekly and annual patterns in serious falls of non-institutionalized independent Spanish seniors

Source: European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences

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Date of publication: February 2020 Vol. 24 pps. 1440-1453

 Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: The study aimed to explore clock hour, day-of-week, and month-of- year patterns of serious falls experienced by non-institutionalized Spanish seniors (age ≥65 years) in relation to associated conventional intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

Using electronic health records to enhance predictions of fall risk in inpatient settings

Source: The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and and Patient Safety

Follow this link for the abstract

Date of publication: 12 February 2020

 Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: Falls are the most common adverse events of hospitalized adults. Traditional validated assessment tools have limited ability to accurately detect patients at high risk for falls. The researchers aim to develop an automated comprehensive risk score to enhance the identification of patients at high risk for falls and examine its effectiveness.

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

Care transition decisions after a fall‐related emergency department visit: a qualitative study of patients’ and caregivers’ experiences

Source: Academic Emergency Medicine 

Follow this link for the abstract

Date of publication: 13 February 2020

 Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: Falls are a leading cause of injury‐related emergency department (ED) visits and may serve as a sentinel event for older adults, leading to physical and psychological injury. Our primary objective was to characterize patient‐ and caregiver‐specific perspectives about care transitions after a fall.

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

How frequently are patients weighed in hospital? Results from a five-year cross-sectional audit of clinical practice in nine hospitals

Source: Clinical Nutrition ESPEN

Follow this link for the abstract

Date of publication: April 2020, Vol. 36, pps. 157-161

 Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: Knowledge of a person’s weight is important for identifying malnutrition; occupational safety reasons; medication dosing and evaluating effectiveness of medical nutrition therapy. However, weighing of patients in hospitals is known to be problematic and suboptimal.

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

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