Management of risk falls among the elderly - Essay Example

The need to address the issue of falls among the elderly is therefore an important consideration. This paper shall discuss the management of risk falls among the elderly, specifically carrying out a critical analysis of the main theoretical and clinical concepts/principles and relevance to clinical care. Following a balanced and evidenced critique, this paper will develop recommendations for clinical practice and/or educational development of nursing practitioners in relation to the topic. Search strategy An initial internet search was carried out via Google Scholar using the following search words and specific combinations: falls elderly; fall risk elderly; management falls elderly; impact falls elderly.

Literature dated from 2001 onwards was further evaluated for inclusion into this study. A search of the following databases was also carried out: Cochrane, Medline, and PubMed using the same search words specified above. The inclusion criteria covered elderly patients 65 years and above, with or without history of falls, with or without history of mental health illness including dementia, with or without history of osteoarthritis or other diseases affecting mobility, gait, or balance, with or without history of stroke rendering paralysis, and those undertaking any form or medication which may cause dizziness or disorientation.

The following inclusion criteria are possible contributory elements to falls among the elderly and any of these elements present may also pose equal risk to the elderly patient. The credibility of the authors, including publication, and peer-review of the chosen literature was evaluated. Chosen studies were then specifically assessed in terms of relevance. Contextual information Falls as incidents caused by the aging process are often associated with diseases like Parkinson’s disease, musculoskeletal issues, cognitive degradation, and impairment of sensory systems (Carter, et.al., 2002).

Incidents of falls often increase as people get older and as the elderly continue to advance in age. It is also one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality among the elderly (Rubenstein and Josephson, 2006). Morbidity from falls includes major injuries and fractures, limited mobility, as well as functional health decline and permanent disability (Wolf, et.al., 2003). A common effect of falls is hip fracture and some of these falls often lead to fractures, especially among the older adults (Moreland, et.al., 2004).

These falls are considered preventable and much interest has been directed to these methods of prevention, especially in relation to the risk factors which exacerbate these risks (Barnett, et.al., 2003). Various studies have been carried out evaluating these fall risks and preventive measures for these falls. Most of these studies indicate that the risk for falls increase with the advancing age of individuals, with higher risks seen among those in the over 60 age range (Li, et.al., 2005). Studies also reveal that fall risks are often associated with different factors including history of past falls, cognitive impairment, impairment in the performance of activities of daily living, weakness of muscles or bones in the lower extremities due to disability, impaired gait or balance, dizziness, arthritis, history of stroke, poor eyesight, low body mass index, use of psychotropic medications causing dizziness or disorientation (American Geriatrics Society, et.al., 2001). A