National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Falls is the National Institute on Aging
A service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine 
National Institutes of Health
Falls
A fall can change your life. If you're elderly, it can lead to disability and a loss of independence. If your bones are fragile from osteoporosis, you could break a bone, often a hip. But aging alone doesn't make people fall. Diabetes and heart disease affect balance. So do problems with circulation, thyroid or nervous systems. Some medicines make people dizzy. Eye problems or alcohol can be factors. Any of these things can make a fall more likely. Babies and young children are also at risk of falling - off of furniture and down stairs, for example.
Falls and accidents seldom "just happen." Taking care of your health by exercising and getting regular eye exams and physicals may help reduce your chance of falling. Getting rid of tripping hazards in your home and wearing nonskid shoes may also help. To reduce the chances of breaking a bone if you do fall, make sure that you get enough calcium and vitamin D.
NIH: National Institute on Aging
-
Start Here
-
Falls and Fractures(National Institute on Aging)
- Also available in Spanish
-
Falls and Older Adults
(National Institute on Aging)
-
What Are Ways to Prevent Falls and Related Fractures?
(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
- Also available in Spanish
-
Falls and Fractures
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
,
Learn More
, and
Multimedia & Cool Tools
.
For group Basics
For group Learn More
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
,
Reference Shelf
, and
For You
.
For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
-
Overviews
-
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Falls(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School)
-
-
Latest News
- Health Tip: Reduce Your Risk of Falling(10/05/2012, HealthDay)
- Seniors Who Fell Recently May Fare Worse After Surgery(10/02/2012, HealthDay)
- Preventing Falls in Seniors Is Possible(09/12/2012, Reuters Health)
- More News on Falls
-
Diagnosis/Symptoms
-
Diagnosis and Tests: Evaluating a Fall or Risk of Falling(American Geriatrics Society)
-
-
Treatment
-
Falls(InteliHealth, Harvard Medical School)
- Return to top
-
-
Prevention/Screening
- Fall Prevention: 6 Ways to Prevent Falls(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Guidelines for Preventing Falls(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
-
Preventing Falls and Related Fractures(National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)
- Preventing Falls in Older Adults Who Live in Community Settings(American College of Physicians) - PDF
- Return to top
-
Specific Conditions
- Preventing Construction Falls(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Return to top
-
Related Issues
- Getting Up from a Fall(American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)
- Physical Therapist's Guide to Sarcopenia and Frailty(American Physical Therapy Association)
- Speak Up: Reduce Your Risk of Falling(Joint Commission) - PDF
- Return to top
-
Tutorials
-
Falls and Older Adults(National Institute on Aging)
- Return to top
-
Falls and Older Adults
-
Videos
-
Be Physically Active(National Institute on Aging)
-
Have Your Medicines Reviewed(National Institute on Aging)
-
Home Safety Tips(National Institute on Aging)
- Preventing Falls in the Hospital(Healthy Roads Media)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
Be Physically Active
-
Clinical Trials
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Accidental Falls(National Institutes of Health)
- Return to top
-
ClinicalTrials.gov: Accidental Falls
-
Research
- Research Shows Cataract Surgery Can Reduce Hip Fracture Risk(American Academy of Ophthalmology)
- Return to top
-
Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
-
Organizations
-
Statistics
- Falls Among Older Adults: An Overview(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- FastStats: Accidents or Unintentional Injuries(National Center for Health Statistics)
- Percentage of Nursing Home Residents Experiencing One or More Falls within the Past 30 Days(Dept. of Health and Human Services)
- Return to top
-
Children
- Fall Safety for Kids: How to Prevent Falls(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Falls(Nemours Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
Seniors
- Balance Problems(American Geriatrics Society) - PDF
- Check for Safety: A Home Fall Prevention Checklist for Older Adults(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Falls in Nursing Homes(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Falls Prevention: Unique to Older Adults(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)
- Return to top
-
Patient Handouts
- After a fall in the hospital
- Also available in Spanish
- Bathroom safety - adults
- Also available in Spanish
- Exercises to help prevent falls
- Also available in Spanish
- Preventing falls
- Also available in Spanish
- Return to top
-
You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
Languages
Falls - Multiple Languages
