Falls in Older People: Risk Factors and Strategies for Prevention

Over the past two decades there has been a great deal of international, specialized research activity focused on risk factors and prevention strategies for falls in older people. This book provides health care workers with a detailed analysis of the most recent developments in the area and helps bridge the gap between scientific journal articles and general texts. The book is constructed in three parts: risk factors, prevention strategies, and future research directions. Coverage includes epidemiology, critical appraisal of the roles of exercise, environment, footwear, and medication, evidence-based risk assessment, and targeted and individually tailored falls-prevention strategies. Falls in Older People will be invaluable to medical practitioners, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses, researchers and all those working in community, hospital and residential aged care settings.

'I have nothing but praise for this monograph. The Australian authors - a physiologist, a physiotherapist and a lecturer in foot mechanics and gerontology - recognized that textbooks have dealt with falls superficially and that no-one had methodically analysed and interpreted the published work. They write elegantly and apply academic rigour to the data, highlighting the gaps and uncertainties in our knowledge and generously providing many research ideas for readers to pursue.' Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine

'Chapters whilst heavy with facts and figures, are very readable ... clearly written yet containing enough depth to satisfy the scientific mind. I think the book would appeal to any healthcare professional with an interest in falls prevention, either from a theoretical or practical standpoint.' Dementia

'The quality of the book is good and it is a good buy for psychiatrists, primary care physicians, geriatricians, orthopedic surgeons, physical and occupational therapists and domiciliary nurses.' Saudi Medical Journal

'... 'must have' for all geriatricians, PAMs and nurses concerned with falls prevention, both in hospitals and community settings ... I liked in particular the practical section on prevention of falls in institutions, which should be distributed through all nursing facilities in the UK.' W. Reid, Doctors.net

'... this is undoubtedly a useful book to have as a resource for the interdisciplinary team.' Palliative Medicine

'This work bridges the gap between highly specialised journal articles and the often sketchy and superficial chapters on this topic that appear in many textbooks. It is clearly written and can be highly recommended to students, medical practitioners (including geriatricians and rheumatologists), nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, and research workers in the field of gerontology and geriatrics.' Steven Boonen, Clinical Rheumatology

'This work bridges the gap between highly specialized journal articles and the often sketchy and superficial chapters on this topic that appear in many textbooks. It is clearly written and can be highly recommended to students, medical practitioners (including geriatricians and rheumatologists), nurses, physiotherapists and research workers in the field of gerontology and geriatrics.' Steven Boonen, Clinical Rheumatology

'... provides all the information in a very handy and readable form that anyone setting up a falls clinic could wish for ... this is a book written by experts who have first hand experience of the academic and practical issues involved in identifying patients at risk and the interventions needed to prevent further falls. I strongly recommend it, not just to clinicians, but to nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, podiatrists, and indeed anyone with a professional interest in this problem'. P. W. Overstall, Gerontology

'... a stimulating and valuable book.' Janet M. Simpson, Ageing and Society

'This is one of the most important evidence-based texts focusing on falls in older people to emerge in recent years ... this book is meticulously researched and is a very welcome addition to the vast literature on falls prevention.' British Journal of Occupational Therapy