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The environment and falls prevention: Do environmental modifications make a difference?
Author(s) -
Tse Tamara
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
australian occupational therapy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.595
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 1440-1630
pISSN - 0045-0766
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1630.2005.00525.x
Subject(s) - cinahl , multidisciplinary approach , primary prevention , environmental health , fall prevention , lifestyle modification , medicine , relevance (law) , gerontology , human factors and ergonomics , psychology , poison control , nursing , psychological intervention , political science , sociology , social science , disease , pathology , law , obesity
Background and Aims: Environmental modification is a strategy widely recommended in many falls prevention programs. However the effectiveness of such a strategy has not been well established. This study aimed to evaluate published research related to falls prevention and environmental modification for older people.Method: A review of research conducted between 1993 and 2004 was undertaken. Ageline, Cinahl and OvidMedline databases were searched using falls prevention, home modifications, environmental modifications and occupational therapy as key words.Results: Eighteen articles were found relating to community and institutional dwellings and the relevance of environmental modifications.Conclusion: There is some evidence to support the use of environmental modification as a strategy in falls prevention for older people particularly in association with multidisciplinary/multifactorial programs targeted to those people with a history of falls.