Top 10 Things to Know about Falls in Older Adults

Abstract

Assessing falls among the older adult population in the emergency department (ED) is challenging. Multi-factorial fall assessments often take time, a resource that is limited in crowded and under-resourced EDs. Nonetheless, EDs have a unique opportunity to intervene to prevent recurrent falls. Patients may present soon after their fall and may be more open to interventions that can change their fall risk. Given the aging population, visits for falls among the older adult population will likely increase.1 This brief report outlines the top 10 considerations when caring for older adult patients who present to the ED with a fall.