References
Fall prevention programmes for older adults in the community: impact on rate of falls
This article presents a commentary on Sherrington et al's (2020) updated review on the association between physical activity and falls prevention in older adults. Falls are common in the older population (Al-Aama, 2011) and occur in 30% of all people over the age of 65 years every year (Lord et al, 2007). This amounts to 4290 falls per 100 000 people in the UK (James et al, 2020). Falls can affect all aspects of an individual's life, resulting in an increased chance of depression (Biderman et al, 2002), anxiety (Lavedán et al, 2018), reduced social participation (Pin and Spini, 2016) and increased morbidity and mortality (Berková and Berka, 2018). Falls can occur in the community due to multiple factors, such as a previous history of falls, gait problems, vertigo and medication (Deandrea et al, 2010). A recent Cochrane review has demonstrated that physical activity can help to reduce the number and rate of falls (Sherrington et al, 2019). This review has since been updated to reassess the effectiveness of physical activity on reducing fall rates in older people and to update World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines (Sherrington et al, 2020).
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