Assessment of Falls in Dallas Fort Worth-Everything You Need To Know

Falls are quite a common risk among adults aged 65 years or more. In the United States, approximately one-third of adults who live in their homes and over half of the adults who live in nursing homes experience falls at least once a year.

Many factors contribute to falls among older adults, such as impaired vision, chronic illnesses, balance disorders, and mobility problems.

In most cases, a fall accident usually causes severe injuries, like head injuries, broken bones, or even death. Before diving further into the topic, let’s see what a fall risk assessment is.

Fall risk assessment can be defined as an assessment that checks how likely you will experience a fall. Usually, the assessment is done for older adults.

This assessment is also known as fall risk screening, fall risk evaluation, and fall risk intervention. These help with fall prevention.

An initial screening

Initial screening includes questions related to your overall health, including mental health. In addition, the healthcare professional may ask you questions about any falls in the past or any possible balance disorders that you may have.

Fall assessment tools test your balance, strength, and the way you walk, also known as gait.

Why is a fall risk assessment done?

A fall risk assessment is performed to check your risk of falling. It is done in terms of low, moderate, and high stakes.

Suppose the results of the evaluation show that you are at an increased risk of falling. In that case, the healthcare professional may recommend strategies to help prevent the fall, thereby reducing your chances of severe injuries.

What happens during a fall risk assessment?

Your healthcare professional may use a CDC-approved fall risk assessment tool for the elderly, known as STEADI, short for Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries.

This approach includes screening, assessing, and intervention. Here, interventions mean recommendations by your healthcare professional to help reduce your risk of falling.

Screening

During this stage, the healthcare professional may ask you a series of questions, such as:

• Did you experience any falls in the past?
• Do you experience unsteadiness or dizziness while walking, even for a short distance?
• Are you constantly worried about falling?

Assessing

In this stage, the healthcare professional will test your balance, strength, and gait.

For these tests, the following fall risk assessment tools may be used:

Timed Up-and-Go

Timed Up-and-Go, also known as Tug, checks your gait. The test will take place in these steps:

• The healthcare professional will ask you to sit in a chair.
• Then, you will have to stand up and walk about 10 feet from the chair.
• You will be walking at your regular pace.
• Meanwhile, the healthcare professional will note down how long it takes for you to take this walk.
• If the results show more than 12 seconds, you are at an increased risk of experiencing a fall.

30-Second Chair Stand Test

This test checks your balance and strength. It will take place in these steps:

• The healthcare professional will ask you to sit in a chair with your arms crossed over your chest.
• Then, you will have to quickly stand up and sit back down on the healthcare professional’s command. For instance, they say, “Now.” You will have to stand up and sit down and repeat it for about 30 seconds.
• The healthcare professional will keep a count of how many times you can do it in 30 seconds.
• The specific number of passing the test varies according to people’s ages.
• If the test reveals a lower number, you are at an increased risk of falling.

4-Stage Balance Test

The 4-stage balance test checks how well you can balance yourself. The healthcare professional will ask you to stand in 4 different positions for approximately 10 seconds. With each position, the test will get a little tricky.

The four positions are:

• Position I: You will be asked to stand with your feet side by side.
• Position II: You will be asked to stand with one of your feet halfway forward. Here, you will have to ensure that the instep touches the big toe of your other foot.
• Position III: You will be asked to stand with one of your feet entirely forward. You will have to ensure that your toes touch the heel of your other foot.
• Position IV: You will have to stand on one foot.

The results of this test are different for each position. For example, if you cannot hold positions II and III for 10 seconds, it would mean you are at an increased risk of falling. Similarly, if you cannot hold position IV for 5 seconds, it would mean that your chances of falling are higher.

Intervention

Depending on the results of your test, your healthcare professional may provide recommendations to reduce fall risk, such as:

• Exercising regularly: Your healthcare professional may recommend specific exercises to help improve your balance and strength. New treatments like the Emsculpt NEO platform can help you burn fat and build muscle quickly without surgery or medication. This can help to decrease your risk of falling.
• Medications: You may be prescribed Vitamin D or other drugs to strengthen your bones.
• Regular medical checkups: You may have to get regular checkups to rule out the possibility of medical disorders and conditions, such as impaired vision.
• Wearing the proper footwear: The healthcare professional may refer you to a podiatrist, also known as a foot doctor, to recommend the appropriate footwear.

How Prime MD Plus can help

According to the National Institute on Aging, one in four adults aged 65 and over fall each year, and falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal injuries for this age group.

Prime MD Plus can help. We are a medical clinic with a board-certified geriatrician who can help evaluate falls and treat the underlying causes.

Fall accidents can happen for many reasons, such as muscle weakness, balance problems, dizziness, vision problems, and medications that cause drowsiness or dizziness.

Our goal is to help our patients stay safe by reducing their risk of falling and preventing future falls.

We offer a variety of services to help our patients stay healthy and reduce their fall risk, including fall risk assessments, physical therapy, balance training, and medication management.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you or your loved one stay safe and independent.

Conclusion

Fall-related injuries can be pretty severe. In some cases, you may end up with severe injuries. Therefore, you should consult with a healthcare professional as soon as you can.

They may recommend a fall risk assessment to check whether you are at an increased risk of falling in the future or not.

In addition, if you do have an increased risk of falling, the healthcare professional may provide specific recommendations to help reduce your risk of falling.

If you are looking to consult with a board-certified geriatric doctor in the North Texas area about falls, or need help managing balance issues without medication, visit primemdplus.com.