Falls: applying All Our Health

Summary

Falls and fractures in older people are often preventable. Reducing falls and fractures is important for maintaining the health, wellbeing and independence of older people.

A fall is defined as an event which causes a person to, unintentionally, rest on the ground or lower level, and is not a result of a major intrinsic event (such as a stroke) or overwhelming hazard. Having a fall can happen to anyone; it is an unfortunate but normal result of human anatomy. However, as people get older, they are more likely to fall over. Falls can become recurrent and result in injuries including head injuries and hip fractures.

Content

This guidance set out by Public Health England explains how patients/the public and clinicians can mitigate falls.