Audiologists should not fail with falls: A call to commit to prevention of falls in older adults

Abstract

Globally, falls are a serious economic and public health concern. While all age groups are impacted by falls, the threats to morbidity and mortality are most severe in older adults. Recent literature has linked hearing loss, and related issues such as an increase in sedentary behaviour, to a greater risk of falls. Therefore, this opinion article aims to raise audiologists’ awareness of falls in ageing patients or clients, and calls for change in terms of having these rehabilitation professionals embrace identification and management of fall risk.

Keywords

• falls
• fall prevention
• fall risk
• older adults
• hearing impairment
• audiology