Fall Prevention Gets Harder When Seniors Leave Hospital

A study published in Age and Ageing found older adults' risk of falling increases significantly in the first six months of a hospital release, reports Reuters . "Hospital stays are an adverse event," says Curtin University's Chiara Naseri. "The older care recipient faces prolonged bed-rest, changes in medications, diet, and daily routine. And their progressive deterioration doesn't stop once they reach home, especially as they are generally still medically unwell and recovering from their hospital stay." The researchers assessed 16 studies, among them 15 "gold-standard" randomized controlled trials, that evaluated 12 intervention strategies in eight countries. The studies involved 3,290 men and women with an average age of 77. The majority of fall prevention interventions included home modifications, vitamin D3 supplements, and exercise. Results implied that home modifications were most useful for people with a history of falling, with one study noting such subjects were 37 percent less likely to experience a second fall after home modification. Neither vitamin D therapy nor home exercise interventions significantly reduced falls or fall injuries. Naseri says the observation that standard approaches to fall prevention are less effective when seniors return from the hospital might reflect the complexity of the release process for older people. "When you have been in the hospital, recognize that you need to take care of your health when you first return home," she recommends. "Visit your family doctor or seek help from your healthcare team if you don't feel that you are recovering well."