Grant: Operating Grant

Falls are a common geriatric syndrome and are the third leading cause of chronic disability worldwide. About 30% of community-dwellers over the age of 65 experience one or more falls every year. Although not all falls lead to injury, about 20% require medical attention and 5% result in fracture, with one-third of those being hip fractures. In particular, about half of the 30% of community-dwelling seniors who fall experience recurrent falls and are at significant risk for fall-related injuries. Currently, the evidence strongly suggests that an exercise program of strength and balance training reduces falls in the general population of community-dwelling seniors. However, to date, very few studies have specifically evaluated whether these types of exercises can also reduce falls in seniors with a significant history of falls. Yet, given the significant impact of falls on both the health care system and the individual, effective prevention strategies need to be identified for this high-risk population. We propose that it is logical to target simple prevention strategies to persons at high-risk for falls and fall-related injuries. Therefore, we aim to carry out a 12-month study of 344 community-dwelling senior fallers aged 70 years and older to evaluate the effect of a home-based strength and balance exercise training program on falls. We will also conduct an economic evaluation of this home-based exercise program as a falls prevention strategy for high-risk seniors compared with standard of care. Our economic evaluation will enable us to assist health care decision makers in allocating scarce resources.