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10 - Medical Risk Factors for Falls

from Part I - Epidemiology and Risk Factors for Falls

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2021

By
Naomi Noguchi  and
Vasi Naganathan
Edited by
Stephen R. Lord ,
Catherine Sherrington  and
Vasi Naganathan
Stephen R. Lord
Affiliation:
Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney
Catherine Sherrington
Affiliation:
Sydney Medical School
Vasi Naganathan
Affiliation:
Concord Hospital
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Summary

The early landmark trials which showed that multi-factorial interventions were effective in preventing falls included assessments of medical risk factors for falls which were then used to guide interventions. As discussed in Chapter 20, the identification of medical risk factors can inform which of a suite of possible multi-factorial interventions a patient should receive. The maintenance of the postural stability is a complex task involving many physiological systems (Chapters 2–5). Sensory input from visual and vestibular pathways, muscle spindles, and joint proprioceptors is channelled centrally to the brain where it is rapidly processed to produce appropriate and co-ordinated motor responses [1]. The key components of this process are represented in Figure 10.1, whilst Table 10.1 lists some of the diseases which can impact on these systems to increase an individual’s risk of falling.

Type
Chapter
Information
Falls in Older People
Risk Factors, Strategies for Prevention and Implications for Practice
 , pp. 172 - 191
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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