Prevention of falls as a significant parameter of a healthy and successful aging

Among all health-related problems of the elderly, falls seem to constitute one of the most serious due to its substantial impact on the older person, the family and the healthcare system. Such accidents may be caused by a large number of intrinsic and extrinsic factors and their prevention is considered to be a prerequisite for a “healthy” and “successful” aging. Various nursing and other health tools have been developed today to permit a thorough patient assessment and the identification of older individuals at high risk for falls. Nurses and their associations in our country need (a) to become involved in designing and coordinating measures focused on preventing and reducing the incidence of falls in the elderly and (b) to participate at local and central health decision-making bodies supporting legislative and other acts that improve quality of life in the specific group of people. Nursing interventions targeted both to aging persons as well as to their social support network – including healthcare professionals– have the potential to improve the health indicator of older adults and provide economic and other benefits to society.

Category: Volume 46, N 4
Hits: 444 Hits
Created Date: 15-12-2007
Authors: Evangelia Patistea , Konstantinta Androutsopoulou-Lytra