Falls and their consequences are the leading cause of death in people 65 years and older. For people 85 and older, it’s estimated that one in five falls results in death.
The accident myth
Until recently, most falls have been blamed on a single cause—precipitated by either a medical event or an “accident” related to the environment. Today, researchers know that falls are rarely the result of an isolated event. Rather, falls are complex events caused by the interaction of both internal and external factors.
Most falls represent the end result of a series of independent and often small risks. Individually, such risks pose no harm. Young and able-bodied people can manage avoiding many daily mishaps so naturally, they never even realize it. Eventually though, age, disability or compromised health not only creates its own risks, it can make it impossible to deal with even the simplest environmental risks.
Often, a fall “happens” (meaning, factors set it in motion) long before the victim encounters the event. As relatives and caregivers, it becomes our responsibility to recognize and correct those factors—both physiological and environmental— and break the chain of risk, before a fall occurs. Prevention is no accident.
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