Open AccessAudiologists should not fail with falls: A call to commit to prevention of falls in older adults
Author(s) -
Christine Rogers
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
south african journal of communication disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.296
H-Index - 11
eISSN - 2225-4765
pISSN - 0379-8046
DOI - 10.4102/sajcd.v68i1.841
Subject(s) - commit , gerontology , rehabilitation , medicine , fall prevention , public health , falls in older adults , injury prevention , occupational safety and health , poison control , psychology , medical emergency , physical therapy , nursing , pathology , database , computer science
Globally, falls are a serious economic and public health concern. While all age groups are impacted by falls, the threats to morbidity and mortality are most severe in older adults. Recent literature has linked hearing loss, and related issues such as an increase in sedentary behaviour, to a greater risk of falls. Therefore, this opinion article aims to raise audiologists' awareness of falls in ageing patients or clients, and calls for change in terms of having these rehabilitation professionals embrace identification and management of fall risk.