Falls Flashcards
Falls History
Falls History can be split into 4 categories:
- Before the fall
- During the fall
- After the fall
- Now
Falls History
Questions to ask about “Before the Fall”
- clarify when the fall occured
- ask about activities before the fall
- ask about warning signs & physical symptoms
Falls History
Questions to ask in a Falls History about what happened “During the Fall”
- the nature of the fall (how?what direction?did anything break fall? did you hit head?)
- How the patient fell (fall onto something? what position when landed?)
- Loss of consciousness? (did you black out at all? do you remember falling? remember hitting the ground?)
- **What they did when they started to fall? **(what did you do when you felt yourself falling? Did you try to break your fall?)
Falls History
Questions to ask in Falls History about “After the Fall”
- **How long **where they lying on the floor?
- did they get up by themselves?
- How they **sought help **and by who?
- How they **felt **after fall
Falls History
Questions to ask during a falls history about how the patient feels “Now”
- How are you feeling Now?
- Ask about specific symptoms that may indicate injuries
- Have they had any further falls?
- How the fall has affected them? (worried them, stopped any activities?)
Falls History
What score can be used to calculate a risk of future falls
FRAT Score
What tool can be used to assess fracture risk? (specifically the risk of an osteoporotic fracture)
FRAX Tool (fracture risk assessment tool)
Conditions that are relevant to falls
Fall causes that affect mobility, strength or balance?
- BPPV
- Parkinson’s disease
- Orthostatic Hypotension
- Arthritis syndromes
- Sarcopoenia
Conditions that are relevant to falls
Fall causes that affect** cognition**?
- Dementia syndromes
- other neurological conditions
Conditions that are relevant to falls
Fall Causes that affect sensory elements?
- visual impairment
- peripheral neuropathy
Conditions that are relevant to falls
Fall causes that affect bone health?
- osteoporosis (increased fracture risk)
Conditions that are relevant to falls
Fall causes that lead to urgent movement? (more likely for someone to fall)
- urinary conditions eg. UTI, incontinence & oevractive bladder
conditions that are relevant to falls
**Cardiovascular **conditions that can cause falls?
- aortic stenosis
- atrial fibrillation
- pacemakers
- other arrythmias
Types of medical conditions that are relevant in the context of a fall?
eg. affect cognition
- affect mobility, strength & balance
- affect cognition
- affect sensory elements
- affect bone health
- lead to urgent movement
- cardiovascular
What 3 bodily functions/systems does normal gait involve?
- The neurological system - basal ganglia and cortical basal ganglia loop.
- The musculoskeletal system (which must have appropriate tone and strength).
- Effective processing of the senses such as sight, sound, and sensation (fine touch and proprioception).
Risk factors for Falls
- Lower limb muscle weakness
- Vision problems
- Balance/gait disturbances (diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and parkinson’s disease etc)
- Polypharmacy (4+ medications)
- Incontinence
- > 65
- Have a fear of falling
- Depression
- Postural hypotension
- Arthritis in lower limbs
- Psychoactive drugs
- Cognitive impairment
Why are diuretic drugs a falls risk?
They cause postural hypotension
Why are anticholinergic medications a falls risk?
They cause postural hypotension
Why are antidepressants a falls risk?
They cause postural hypotension
Why are beta-blockers a falls risk?
They cause postural hypotension
Why is Levodopa a falls risk?
It causes postural hypotension
Why are ACE inhibitors a falls risk?
They cause postural hypotension
Why are Nitrate drugs a falls risk?
They cause postural hypotension
Why are benzodiazepines (anxiolytics eg. diazepem & lorazepem) a falls risk?
Some side effects of them are dizziness, confusion, vision impairment and loss of coordination- all of which can affect walking