World guidelines for falls prevention and management for older adults: a global initiative

2022/09/01 by Manuel Montero‐Odasso, Manuel Montero-Odasso, Nathalie van der Velde +188 · 1 voice · 62 citations
Health Professions · Medicine · #Assistive Technology in Communication and Mobility #Balance, Gait, and Falls Prevention #Frailty in Older Adults

paper · pdf · doi:10.1093/ageing/afac205

openalex publication_date 2022/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31

Abstract

BACKGROUND: falls and fall-related injuries are common in older adults, have negative effects on functional independence and quality of life and are associated with increased morbidity, mortality and health related costs. Current guidelines are inconsistent, with no up-to-date, globally applicable ones present. OBJECTIVES: to create a set of evidence- and expert consensus-based falls prevention and management recommendations applicable to older adults for use by healthcare and other professionals that consider: (i) a person-centred approach that includes the perspectives of older adults with lived experience, caregivers and other stakeholders; (ii) gaps in previous guidelines; (iii) recent developments in e-health and (iv) implementation across locations with limited access to resources such as low- and middle-income countries. METHODS: a steering committee and a worldwide multidisciplinary group of experts and stakeholders, including older adults, were assembled. Geriatrics and gerontological societies were represented. Using a modified Delphi process, recommendations from 11 topic-specific working groups (WGs), 10 ad-hoc WGs and a WG dealing with the perspectives of older adults were reviewed and refined. The final recommendations were determined by voting. RECOMMENDATIONS: all older adults should be advised on falls prevention and physical activity. Opportunistic case finding for falls risk is recommended for community-dwelling older adults. Those considered at high risk should be offered a comprehensive multifactorial falls risk assessment with a view to co-design and implement personalised multidomain interventions. Other recommendations cover details of assessment and intervention components and combinations, and recommendations for specific settings and populations. CONCLUSIONS: the core set of recommendations provided will require flexible implementation strategies that consider both local context and resources.

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Cited by

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• Motor-Cognitive Training Outperforms State-Funded Mobility Programs in Improving Dynamic Gait Stability in Older Adults
• Global consensus on optimal exercise recommendations for enhancing healthy longevity in older adults (ICFSR)
• Management of Osteoporosis in Parkinson's Disease: A Systematic Review of Clinical Practice Guidelines
• Effect of perturbation-based balance training distribution on stability and fall risk in faller older adults: A randomized single-blind clinical trial
• We should be screening for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) in all older adults at risk of falling: a commentary on the World Falls Guidelines
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Discussions

• The World Falls Guideline remains one of the highly cited and downloaded articles in Age and Ageing journal and we are delighted to have published several commentaries, insights and applications arisi [bsky, 0 points, 1 comments]

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