Certain medications can increase fall risk
Many older adults (aged 65 and older) take medications for sleep disorders, anxiety, high blood pressure, or chronic pain. Side effects from these drugs can change the way a person feels or thinks and can cause drowsiness, loss of balance, changes in vision, slower reaction time, and other effects that increase the risk of falling.
Falls are serious, and in 2017 resulted in about 3 million emergency department visits, 900,000 hospitalizations, and 30,000 deaths among older adults1. The U.S. older adult population is rapidly growing, which means more people will be in need of interventions to reduce fall risk. As medication experts, pharmacists can help reduce fall risk using STEADI-Rx.
For More Information
Visit the STEADI website
Posted: 10/04/2016; Revised: 05/26/20.
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