A fall is defined as an unintentional descent to collide and come to rest on a lower object or the floor. While falls may occur without injury, older adults face greater risk of injurious or even fatal outcomes. In fact, falls are the leading cause of injury and related deaths in adults ages 65 and older.

Falls can significantly impact older adults’ lives and independence, whether through physical repercussions such as cuts, fractures, and traumatic brain injuries, or through diminished activities of daily living (ADL) functionality and fear of future falls. The risk of these outcomes due to falls increases with age and advanced frailty.

Dr. William Mills, Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs for BrightSpring Health Services, describes frailty as a common and important geriatric syndrome, in which, “the ability of older people to cope with every day or acute stressors is compromised by an increased vulnerability brought by age-associated declines in physiological reserve and function across multiple organ systems.”

Residents presenting with multiple components of the ‘frailty phenotype’ – weight loss, weakness, exhaustion, slowness, and low physical activity level – present profound risk for falls and related injury.