Abstract:

As contract physical therapists employed by an independent living center, we were recently approached by an administrator who was concerned about the increase in the number of falls within the facility. During the past 4 months, several residents had sustained serious injuries as a result of falling; 2 of them had to be transferred to skilled nursing facilities. The administrator had read an article in a popular newsstand magazine that claimed that exercise had the potential to reduce falls in elderly people. He asked us if there was any merit to this claim and whether it would be in the best interest of the facility to offer such a program to its residents. To best answer his questions, we decided to search the literature to see if there was any scientific evidence to support the idea that exercise could reduce the incidence of falls in elderly people. We also were interested in finding out what type of program was most effective, because this information would be useful in planning for space, equipment, and personnel.