Practicum Journal: Fall Prevention in the Elderly

Fall Prevention in the Elderly
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Fall Prevention in the Elderly
Simple accidents such as slipping on a wet floor and dripping on rugs can change an individual’s life. From my experience, as well as in this course, I have learned that thousands of older adults are at heightened risk of falling, leading to severe health problems and long-term disability. Pitchai et al. (2019) note that more than one in three people fall annually in the United States. Sarcopenia, the loss of muscle strength, mass, and function with time, increases with age. The problem affects older people due to general body weakness and low energy levels, impairing walking, standing, or climbing stairs. During my practice, I learned new techniques and approaches, as well as health policy interventions to safeguard the wellness of older people. Feng et al. (2019) indicate that health policies strengthen public health programs’ functions and oversee the healthcare sector workforce to ensure preparedness in caring for patients and older people.
Advances in science and technology have brought about enormous solutions to prevent falls. The innovations primarily aid physical activity and foster self-rated wellness among older people through information and communication. For example, I learned about a Snabblometer, a mobile application that provides a fall risk index and information on the appropriate exercise in fall prevention. The user links it to an inertial movement wearable unit, which detects a near fall by measuring postural sway. Additionally, I learned that older people could prevent falls by using assistive devices such as walkers and canes if they do not feel steady when walking (Sharif et al., 2018). The devices should be of the correct sizes to ensure safety.
The leading population health concern regarding falls among older adults include loss of independence, debilitating injuries, and death. Additionally, most countries with a majority of aging baby boomers experience greater risks of falls, necessitating preventive strategies to reduce the burden. Hospitals have tailored their healthcare delivery systems to ensure patient wellness through prevention and management. Regarding prevention, physicians play a cr...