الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 135 |  |  |
| | | from | 135 | | |
Abstract
The growth of the older population has resulted from a general increase in the overall population size but has been particularly affected by major declines in several of the leading causes of mortality. So the proportion of the population aged 65 years and older has increased dramatically and will continue to increase for the next 50 years.
Falls are common in older persons. A fall injury is costly in terms of morbidity, loss of physical function, loss of independence, and mortality, as well as health care utilization. Falls have not always been recognized as a serious health problem. Prior to this era, a fall was considered an unpredictable event that could not be prevented. In the past 20 years, however, research studies have shown the incidence and consequences of falls, revealed their multifactorial etiology, and demonstrated that they can be prevented by treating the factors that increase an older person’s risk of falling. Effective treatment requires a multidisciplinary approach. Perhaps because of this, fall prevention is not widely practiced in clinical settings outside of specialized geriatric assessment clinics; thus, falls remain an undertreated public health issue.