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24 - Fall Injury Prevention: Hip Protectors and Compliant Flooring

from Part II - Strategies for Prevention

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2021

By
Susan Kurrle  and
Ian Cameron
Edited by
Stephen R. Lord ,
Catherine Sherrington  and
Vasi Naganathan
Stephen R. Lord
Affiliation:
Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney
Catherine Sherrington
Affiliation:
Sydney Medical School
Vasi Naganathan
Affiliation:
Concord Hospital
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Summary

This chapter reviews prevention from a different perspective. Instead of preventing the fall, this chapter examines fall injury prevention, a complementary approach that has a history of many decades. This approach has comprised two strategies. The first pertains to padding, or ‘protecting’ the hip or other body parts, including the head, while the second pertains to modifying the surface onto which the person falls to reduce fall impact. The main contrast between these approaches is that the use of body part protectors requires a commitment from the wearer or carers, whereas compliant flooring is a passive device requiring no such commitment or action.

Information

Type
Chapter
Information
Falls in Older People
Risk Factors, Strategies for Prevention and Implications for Practice
 , pp. 378 - 385
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

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