10 Jun USPSTF: Health Care Professionals Should Recommend Exercise for Seniors at Risk of Falls
MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Dr. Li Li
Li Li, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H
Walter M. Seward Professor
Chair of Family Medicine
Director of population health
University of Virginia School of Medicine
Editor-in-chief of The BMJ Family Medicine
Dr. Li joined the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force in January 2021
MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings of the underlying studies?
Response: Falls are the leading cause of injuries in older adults and can lead to serious disability and even death. To help prevent these incidents, the Task Force looked at the current evidence on ways that primary care clinicians can help prevent falls in adults aged 65 and older who live at home and are more likely to fall.
We concluded that healthcare professionals should recommend exercise interventions for adults aged 65 and older who are at increased risk for falls. This could include gait, balance, and functional training, as well as strength, resistance, and flexibility training. Clinicians can also talk with their older patients who are most likely to fall about whether additional interventions might be helpful to reduce their risk of falling.
MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?
Response: Clinicians and patients should work together to help prevent falls in older patients who are most at risk, noting that a person’s chance of falling goes up as they age and if they have fallen previously. Other risk factors include cognitive and sensory problems, certain medical conditions or medications, hazards at home or work, uneven sidewalks, and alcohol or drug use. Structured exercise programs can help adults 65 and older who live at home and are more likely to fall, and clinicians can also talk with their patients about whether additional interventions might be helpful.
MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a results of this study?
Response: Because determining a patient’s risk of falling is so important when implementing this recommendation, we’re calling for more research to identify effective risk assessment tools that can accurately predict the risk for falling for someone who is 65 and older and lives at home. We also need more research on ways to improve the availability and accessibility of effective interventions that help prevent falling, and we need more studies that compare the benefits and harms of exercise interventions alone versus exercise interventions with additional interventions.
MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Response: Exercise interventions, like supervised classes and physical therapy, are effective in reducing falls for older people who are at risk. The Task Force encourages healthcare professionals and patients to decide together whether additional interventions might be helpful based on each person’s individual health needs. And of course, if patients report any symptoms or concerns, healthcare professionals should work with their patients to ensure that they get the care they need.
Citation:
US Preventive Services Task Force. Interventions to Prevent Falls in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement. JAMA. Published online June 04, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.848
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2819573
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Last Updated on June 10, 2024 by Marie Benz MD FAAD