This week Bobbi Conner talks with Dr. Amanda Overstreet about reducing the risk of falls in older adults. Dr. Overstreet is a geriatrician and Interim Medical Director of Geriatrics at MUSC.
TRANSCRIPT:
Conner: I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio with Health Focus here at the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. Falls can be especially dangerous for older adults, sometimes causing fractures, hospitalization, and disability. The good news is that there are ways to reduce the risk of falling. Doctor Amanda Overstreet is here to talk about the details. Doctor Overstreet is a geriatrician and she's Interim Medical Director of Geriatrics at MUSC. Doctor Overstreet, how common are falls in the older adult years, and tell us more about the impact due to these falls.
Dr. Overstreet: Well, we know that 1 in 3 older adults report falling each year. And unfortunately, falls are the leading cause of death from injury. In older adults, falls can have minor consequences, like increasing a person's fear of falling, but can also have major consequences like sustaining a hip fracture or even leading to nursing home placement.
Conner: What are the most common reasons or circumstances that seem to lead to falls in older adults?
Dr. Overstreet: Some of the risk factors for falls are unavoidable, so things like older age, if you have a neurologic disease or patients with dementia are at higher risk for falls. But there are some, what we would call modifiable risk factors. So, for instance, certain medications can increase your risk of falling, if you have balance impairment, poor vision or even things like dehydration.
Conner: And from your perspective, Doctor Overstreet, are there typically other medications for people in the older adult years that can do the job that's needed? In other words, you're tweaking medicine because of some of these fall risks?
Dr. Overstreet: Yes, definitely. That's something that we commonly do in geriatrics, is we try to eliminate any unnecessary medications. And if there is a certain class of medication that's needed, we try to use an alternate that might be safer or carry a little bit less risk.
Conner: What strategies can older adults put in place to help prevent falls?
Dr. Overstreet: The first thing is that it's really important to tell your primary care physician if you've had a fall. You can also consider having a comprehensive assessment by a board certified geriatrician. The last thing that I think can be really helpful is to have an assessment by a physical therapist. Physical therapists are trained in evaluating conditions like balance impairment, but they can also assess your home and look for any hazards that would increase your risk of falling at home. If the physical therapist finds a possible hazard in your home, they can recommend modifications that would make it safer and decrease your risk of falling.
Conner: And what can someone do if they think they need a physical therapy assessment?
Dr. Overstreet: This is where it's really important to tell your primary care physician about either your fear of falling, or if you've had a fall in the past. Your physician can place an order to physical therapy, either for that home safety assessment that we mentioned earlier, or even outpatient physical therapy. Medicare covers physical therapy for assessment and to work on things like balance impairment.
Conner: Doctor Overstreet, thanks for this information about reducing risk of falls.
Dr. Overstreet: You're welcome.
Conner: From the radio studio for the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I'm Bobbi Conner for South Carolina Public Radio.
Health Focus transcripts are intended to accurately represent the original audio version of the program; however, some discrepancies or inaccuracies may exist. The audio format serves as the official record of Health Focus programming.
