Older adults should exercise in order to prevent falls, according to a new recommendation from the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) that was published in JAMA on Tuesday.
The recommendation applies to community-dwelling adults 65 years or older who have a higher risk for falls. It replaces another recommendation published in 2018. Older adults have a higher risk for falls, as do those with cognitive and sensory deficits, acute or chronic medical conditions, use of certain medications, environmental or occupational hazards, home or neighborhood features, and alcohol or drug use.
In 2018, the USPSTF recommended exercise to prevent falls in community-dwelling adults 65 years or older who were at an increased risk for falls. The recommendation stated that clinicians should selectively offer multifactorial interventions to prevent falls in that population.
Clinicians, patients and caregivers should think about the balance of benefits and harms if determining whether or not the individual should take part in an exercise program. This can be based on prior falls, comorbid medical conditions, and what the patient wants, the new recommendation states.
The organization didn’t recommend vitamin D supplementation to prevent falls in community-dwelling adults 65 years or older; the current recommendation doesn’t have a clause on that, as it will be put into another recommendation already being put together.
Falls are the top cause of injury-related morbidity and mortality in older Americans adults. In 2018, 27.5% of community-dwelling adults 65 years or older had at least 1 fall in the past year and 10.2% reported a fall-related injury. In 2021, there were about 38,742 deaths from injuries that happened during falls, the authors reported.
The team also pointed out all the benefits of exercise for other adults other than fall prevention. These include lower risk of cardiovascular disease events, cardiovascular disease mortality and all-cause mortality, as well as lower blood pressure, lower risk of type 2 diabetes and lower risk of abnormal lipids in the blood.
