We’ve written elsewhere on our site about fall risk factors and risk mitigation, but we wanted to address another element of the topic that often comes up in our discussions with patients patients: why fall risk assessment is important.
Fall risk assessment is an important step in enabling early intervention and prevention strategies. It helps reduce the likelihood of fall-related injuries, which can lead to serious health complications, especially in older adults. Regular assessments improve safety, mobility, and overall quality of life for at-risk populations.
We want to make sure our patients are happy and safe for years to come, and one of the ways we do this is by helping them reduce their risk of injury from falls. In this article, we’ll discuss some of the reasons we’re frequently recommending that our patients get fall risk assessments.
Why fall risk assessment is important as we age
1. Short and long term injury prevention
Getting assessed for fall risk allows us to immediately develop a plan to reduce your risk by mitigating individual factors present in your life. Some of these risks can be reduced immediately, such as changing the layout of your furniture, or picking up trip hazards from floors.
These early fall prevention strategies are low-effort and allow us to immediately decrease your risk of everything from hip fractures to head injuries.
In these early days, we can simultaneously implement a plan for building mobility, strength, and balance in joints and muscle groups that may have weakened or shortened over time.
Over the course of a few weeks to a few months, you will have decreased your risk of falling in the short term while also setting yourself up to remain strong and mobile over the long haul, reducing injury risk for years or even decades to come.
2. Proactive health management
One of the primary benefits of receiving fall risk assessments is that it allows us to see potential health pitfalls coming. Falls aren’t just an injury in the immediate sense – they can signal further health complications down the road.
If we can implement early detection of fall risk factors such as declining strength or mobility, we can work to improve those physical attributes and reduce the risk of a patient being subjected to the slippery slope that can come after their first fall.
Furthermore, ongoing fall risk screening helps monitor the effectiveness of interventions and adjust them as needed. This continuous, personalized care supports an individual’s health journey, ensuring they stay as mobile and independent as possible for as long as possible.
3. Healthcare cost reduction
Fall risk assessments significantly contribute to healthcare cost reduction down the road. As mentioned above, it’s tempting to think of injuries resulting form a fall in isolation. However, the truth is that falls tend to lead to further health complications down the road that can be difficult to overcome.
In some cases, falls can mark the beginning of a multi-year process in healthcare solutions. Though we love our patients, we’d prefer that you don’t need to come see us with bad news!
Note that the cost of physical therapy isn’t the only cost we’re referring to. Injuries from falls sometimes require surgeries, and potentially introduce medications into the mix as well. Additionally, one of the top fall risk factors is having had a previous fall.
In short, fall risk assessments help us implement strategies that minimize the chance of needing long-term costs associated with post-injury care.
4. Promotes independence for years to come
As good physical therapists, we are thrilled when our patients get to remain mobile and independent well into their lives. Catching fall risk factors and mitigating them through targeted strengthening and lengthening exercises can allow you to avoid common pitfalls that reduce independence and increase reliance on assistive devices and the healthcare system in general.
Additionally, folks who are strong and mobile tend to have a higher quality of life in general. By boosting your mobility and confidence, mitigating fall risk factors allows you to perform everyday tasks like shopping, cooking, or gardening without fear of injury.
5. Increased awareness of individual risks
Awareness is an often overlooked benefit of fall risk assessments. While we can work hard to mitigate your fall risk as a result of being assessed, there will always be certain factors in the equation that are unique to you.
Awareness of how each fall risk factor plays out in your own life allows us to develop a plan to mitigate each factor, but it also allows us to discuss the fall risk factors in your life that we can’t control.
Examples of this may include stairs in your home, or the terrain you must frequently navigate. Learning about how each factor plays into an overall fall risk reduction plan therefore allows you to move through your life with awareness of where to be careful, and to develop strategies to handle each challenge as it arises.
Where to get fall risk assessments
Fall risk assessments are often offered by various sources at little to no cost to the patient. If you’re anywhere the near the East Valley area in Arizona, give Petersen Physical Therapy a call to set up a complimentary assessment.
If you’re not nearby, we recommend searching for physical therapists near you that offer the same service.
Additionally, healthcare organizations that have senior citizens as part of their primary patient base generally will either offer fall risk assessments themselves, or they will know who to call. It’s common for hospitals, clinics, home health agencies, and senior centers to have programs for fall risk assessments.
If you’re unsure who to call in your area, get in touch with your primary care provider. They will undoubtedly be able to point you in the right direction!
