Acute Medicine | Medicine of the elderly | Causes of falls

Causes of Falls
Session Overview
Description
This session discusses the causes of falls in older people.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Describe the reasons why older people fall

Falls are common. Around one third of people over the age of 65 living in their own homes fall each year - and the incidence is higher for those living in institutions.

Many older people think that falls are simply due to old age. The fact is that falls are often due to medical problems which can be treated.

When faced with an older person who has fallen, you must first ask yourself whether it was, in fact, a fall. 'Found lying on the floor' is not necessarily due to a fall. If the person has fallen, are you able to determine the cause?

Use this short session to test and revise your knowledge of the causes of falls.