In Long-Term Care Facilities, Falls Declined After Risk-Assessment Training for All Staff

Single and multifactorial interventions (e.g., exercise, medication review) can help prevent falls in community-dwelling older adults, but the effectiveness of these interventions is uncertain for older patients who reside in care facilities. Researchers in the U.K. randomized 84 facilities that provided long-term care to older adults and people with dementia to a formal fall-prevention program or usual care. In the fall-prevention program, all staff (from managers to gardeners) were trained to assess fall risks periodically for each patient and to take specific remedial actions. Staff received manuals (including tools for risk assessment and analysis of incident falls) and guides to potential corrective steps. Data were obtained for 1657 r…