Falling is a very common and serious problem for older persons. All too often, falling results in injuries such as broken bones and cuts, and the need for hospital care and/or nursing home admission. Both the incidence of falling and the severity of fall-related complications rise steadily after about age 60. If you have had even a minor fall, you should tell your doctor. Many times, falling can be prevented by relatively simple interventions, such as adjusting the dose of your medication(s) or even getting new eyeglasses. Your doctor can determine your risk of falling and help you avoid falling in the future.

Educational materials for patient/family education discuss critical management concepts.

The following Patient handouts created especially for the Practicing Physician Education (PPE) project, may be photocopied as is, without specific permission.

	Falls: General Information Gives an overview of fall prevention
	Medical Evaluation of Falls Encourages patients to report their falls
	What is a Physical Therapist? Describes skills and services
	What is an Occupational Therapist? Describes skills and services
	Canes and Walkers - Choosing a Cane or Walker Reviews types, fitting, and uses
	Choosing and Starting an Exercise Program Gives general advice on exercise
	Improve Your Balance in 10 minutes a day Describes exercise a patient can do to improve their balance
	Decrease Your Risk of Falling Explains environmental changes to help reduce falls
	Put Your Best Foot Forward: Shoes and Falling Gives pointers for choosing footwear when one has balance problems
	Can You Get Help? Describes emergency response systems
	After the Fall: A Guide for Patients and Families Gives actions to take after a fall
	Steady As You Go: Low Blood Pressure Describes ways to manage orthostatic hypotension risk
	Tai Chi Describes the exercise program
	Avoiding Falls: Tips for Patients with Low Vision Gives tips for fall prevention for the visually impaired
	Osteoporosis: The Britttle Truth Gives an overview of osteoporosis

Additional tools for clinicians can be found on the AGS website

The entire Practicing Physician Education Tool Kit on falls prevention can be found at http://www.miahonline.org/tools/index.html. Here you will find additional information on falls prevention in a primary care practice.