The Nursing clinics of North America
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Nurs. Clin. North Am. · Sep 2017
ReviewImpaired Mobility and Functional Decline in Older Adults: Evidence to Facilitate a Practice Change.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services report nearly 55% of Medicare beneficiaries older than 85 experience impaired mobility and nearly 28% (n = 671,833) of these individuals have difficulty getting help. Impaired mobility is a precursor to disability, which has notable clinical significance and importance to older adults. Using case exemplars of older adults who have experienced a "serious" fall, along with evidence-based research, the physical, psychosocial, emotional, and clinical consequences are discussed, along with assessment parameters and interventions for maximizing function and early mobility.
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Nurs. Clin. North Am. · Sep 2017
ReviewClinical and Community Strategies to Prevent Falls and Fall-Related Injuries Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults.
Falls in older adults are the result of several risk factors across biological and behavioral aspects of the person, along with environmental factors. Falls can trigger a downward spiral in activities of daily living, independence, and overall health outcomes. ⋯ A multifactorial comprehensive clinical fall assessment coupled with tailored interventions can result in a dramatic public health impact, while improving older adult quality of life. For community-dwelling older adults, effective fall prevention has the potential to reduce serious fall-related injuries, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, institutionalization, and functional decline.