Prevention of Fall and Related Injuries in Home- Dwelling Elderly

Backgrounds and Due to increasing number of elderly people in different countries, fall and related injuries have been increased. Fall and its injuries are common health problems of the elderly and they are cause of long-term disability and dysfunction, mortality and cost to the person and community. The aim of this review is to update the evidence-based knowledge of prevention of falls in elderly adults. In this narrative review, trials and reviews from 2000 till 2013, using falls, elderly and prevention or their synonyms as key words with "AND" and "OR" in electronic resources such as PubMed and Cochran were extracted. Validity of the articles were assessed by CONSORT and PRISMA checklist and valid papers was included in the review. The effectiveness of the interventions were assessed, Various methods and programs have been implemented to prevent fall and its consequences in the world and classified in single interventions and multifactorial interventions. Individual and group exercise, home assessment and modification, supplements of calcium and vitamin D, withdrawal of psychotropic drugs, cataract surgery, hip and other protectors, cardiac pacemaker and multifactorial prevention programs that simultaneously focus on multiple risk factors, are the most common interventions. Individual and group exercises and home assessment and modification in high risk persons, reduce the rate and risk of falls. Cataract surgery, cardiac pacemaker and multifactorial interventions reduce fall rate and Tai chi reduces fall risk. Vitamin D consumption in people with vitamin deficiency, hip protectors in high risk patients and footwear modifying in winter conditions have an effect on reducing fall. Educational interventions, withdrawal of psychotropic drugs, fluids and electrolyte therapy, vision correction with glasses and psychological interventions have not been effective.