The world’s population is ageing making falls prevention and management a critical global challenge. Falls can lead to serious injuries and can significantly impact on the quality of life of older adults.
Engaging with older adults is about understanding their beliefs, attitudes and priorities about falls and their management is crucial to successfully intervening.
World Falls Guidelines for Prevention & Management of Falls in Older Adults
The World Falls Guidelines provide evidence and expert consensus-based falls prevention and management recommendations for healthcare and other professionals on identifying and reducing the risk of falls in older adults. Developed by the World Falls Task Force, these guidelines represent a global consensus, bringing together 96 experts from 39 countries and 36 scientific and academic societies.
The World Falls Task Force recommend which interventions, alone or in combination, should be offered to older people as part of a person-centred approach to preventing and managing falls. These guidelines will contribute to improving the health and well-being of older adults globally, which is the overarching aim of the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030).
For professionals working in the falls prevention sector, the World Falls Guidelines offer a valuable resource to enhance current practices. By integrating these internationally recognised recommendations into your work, you can ensure that your interventions are both up-to-date and aligned with global best practices.
The Framework
- Fall Risk Stratification: a standard approach to assess an individual’s estimated level of risk for falls, in order to apply a proportionate detailed assessment and intervention according to level of risk.
- Assessment: process of identifying and measuring the falls risk factors across multiple domains, using recommended tools if available, to indicate potentially modifiable areas for intervention. Combined with other components of a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA), this enables a person-centred approach.
- Management and Interventions: description of various approaches to fall prevention including recommended treatments or actions which can reduce the risk of falls and may be suitable as single interventions or in combinations.
- Assessment and Treatment Algorithm: this links the three stages of initial risk stratification, assessment and management, and encourages a ‘person-centred’ approach to design an individualised intervention.
While these guidelines are global, they are adaptable to the Western Australian context. When used alongside existing national guidelines, such as the Preventing Falls and Harm From Falls in Older People guidelines, they can help create a robust, evidence-based framework for preventing falls across various care settings in Australia.
Preventing Falls and Harm From Falls in Older People: Best Practice Guidelines for Australian Hospitals, Residential Aged Care Facilities and Community Care 2009
Australia’s National Guidelines provide recommendations for preventing falls and falls related injuries among older adults across various care settings. The guidelines target healthcare professionals working with older adults in hospitals, residential aged care facilities, and community care settings.
For older adults living in the community, the guidelines highlight the need for regular falls risk assessments, education on fall prevention strategies, and the promotion of physical activity to maintain strength and balance. The guidelines also advocate for home safety assessments and modifications, medication management as well as the importance of social support networks in falls prevention.
The Guidelines are currently being reviewed and updated.
Guidelines are also available to support falls prevention in Australian Hospitals and Residential Aged Care Facilities.
