Remove the blocks one-by-one, and you lower the risk of falling.
While some factors that increase the risk of falling, such as age and previous falls, cannot be removed, there are a number of important ones that can be:
- Mobility problems such as when walking, moving around or transferring from sitting to standing
- Foot problems or unsafe footwear
- Blood pressure dropping too low when getting up
- Vision problems
- Environmental hazards, obstructions at home
Research at Yale University and other respected institutions has shown that treating and correcting these specific health problems reduces the rate of falling by more than 30%. The table below shows how an older person with fall risk factors can benefit from treatment of those factors.
| Falls Risk Reduction Table | ||
| If the senior has | The chance she will suffer a serious fall in the next year is | Treating risk factors reduces this risk about 1/3 to |
|---|---|---|
| Fallen in past year | 50% (5 in 10) | 30% (3 in 10) |
| No falls in past year but even minor problems with walking or movements | 30% (3 in 10) | 20% (2 in 10) |
| Any 1 of 6 the risk factors below | 20% (2 in 10) | 10% (1 in 10) |
| Any 2 of the 6 risk factors below | 30% (3 in 10) | 20% (2 in 10) |
| Any 3 of the 6 risk factors below | 60% (6 in 10) | 40% (4 in 10) |
| 4 or more of the 6 risk factors | 80% (8 in 10) | 50% (5 in 10) |
Falls risk reduction table from Yale research published in the New England Journal of Medicine; 1988; 319:1701.
Falls risk block concept © 2007 Dorothy Baker, Ph.D.
