A fall can change your life. If you're elderly, it can lead to disability and a loss of independence. If your bones are fragile from osteoporosis, you could break a bone, often a hip. But aging alone doesn't make people fall. Diabetes and heart disease affect balance. So do problems with circulation, thyroid or nervous systems. Some medicines make people dizzy. Eye problems or alcohol can be factors. Any of these things can make a fall more likely. Babies and young children are also at risk of falling - off of furniture and down stairs, for example.
Falls and accidents seldom "just happen." Taking care of your health by exercising and getting regular eye exams and physicals may help reduce your chance of falling. Getting rid of tripping hazards in your home and wearing nonskid shoes may also help. To reduce the chances of breaking a bone if you do fall, make sure that you get enough calcium and vitamin D.
National Institute on Aging
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Falls and Fractures
(National Institute on Aging) - http://www.nia.nih.gov/HealthInformation/Publications/falls.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nia.nih.gov/Espanol/Publicaciones/caídas -
Falls and Older Adults
(National Institute on Aging) - http://nihseniorhealth.gov/falls/toc.html
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What Are Ways to Prevent Falls and Related Fractures?
(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Osteoporosis/Fracture/prevent_falls_ff.asp
- Don't Let a Fall Be Your Last Trip: Who's at Risk?(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00118
- Prostate Cancer Therapy Linked to Falls(09/24/2008, Reuters Health) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69651.html
- Help Older Adults Live Better, Longer: Prevent Falls and Brain Injury(09/22/2008, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/Features/FallsAndBrainInjury/
- Fall Risk Higher in Older Women Who Sleep Less(09/08/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_69032.html
- Fall Prevention: 6 Ways to Reduce Your Falling Risk(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/fall-prevention/HQ00657/METHOD=print
- Guidelines for Preventing Falls(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00135&return_link=0
- Preventing Construction Falls(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/Features/ConstructionFalls/
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Preventing Falls and Related Fractures(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) - http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Osteoporosis/Fracture/preventing_falls.asp
- Falls from Elevation(National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) - http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/falls/default.html
- Footwear and Falls(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00125&return_link=0
- Getting Up from a Fall(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) - http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00098&return_link=0
- What You Need to Know about Balance and Falls(American Physical Therapy Association) - Links to PDF - http://www.apta.org/AM/Images/APTAIMAGES/ContentImages/ptandbody/balance/BalanceFall.pdf
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Falls and Older Adults(National Institute on Aging) - http://nihseniorhealth.gov/falls/toc.html
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Accidental Falls(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=falls
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Lateral balance factors predict future falls in community-living older adults. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18760155&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Psychological well-being is an independent predictor of falling in an... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18689768&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: In-hospital falls of newborn infants: data from a multihospital health... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18676512&tool=MedlinePlus
- Falls -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=accidental+falls[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(patient+education+handout[pt]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+systematic[sb])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons - http://www.aaos.org/
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National Institute on Aging - http://www.nia.nih.gov/
Also available in Spanish http://www.nia.nih.gov/Espanol/
- Costs of Fall Injuries Among Older Adults(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/fallcost.htm
- FASTATS: Accidents/Unintentional Injuries(National Center for Health Statistics) - http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/acc-inj.htm
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Falls(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/sheets/falls_sheet.html
Also available in Spanish http://kidshealth.org/parent/en_espanol/folleto/falls_sheet_esp.html
- Keeping Kids Safe from Home Falls(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/resources/factsheets/hl/kids_falls.aspx
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Check for Safety: A Home Fall Prevention Checklist for Older Adults(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Large PDF file - http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/toolkit/Check%20for%20SafetyCOLOR.pdf
Also available in Spanish http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/spanish/check_for_safety.pdf
- Designs on Building Safe Homes for the Elderly(National Safety Council) - http://www.nsc.org/resources/issues/articles/fallfalls.aspx
- Falls Among Older Adults: An Overview(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/adultfalls.htm
- Falls in Nursing Homes(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/nursing.htm
- Tai Chi May Combat Seniors' Fear of Falling(American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation) - http://www.aapmr.org/condtreat/injuries/falls.htm
- Injuries - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/injuries.html
- Safety Issues - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/safetyissues.html
- Seniors - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/seniors.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Falls is the National Institute on Aging - http://www.nia.nih.gov/