Haus und Freizeit - bfu

Regarding the adult age group, no prevention
opportunities for risk factors with a high accident
relevance could be found in the literature. Fall prevention
activities for adults should include both
behavioral prevention components as well as conditional
prevention components (Table 4). It is true
that no prevention opportunities could be found in
the literature on the category «Health and medical
factors». However, it can be assumed that certain
activity-enhancing measures in the sense of sporting
activities, have both a positive effect on agerelated
changes in the main motor skills as well as
the perceptive faculties and contribute to a general
improvement in the state of health.
Training the main motor skills (coordinative and
conditional abilities and skills) is the focal point of
fall prevention for senior citizens living independently
(Table 5). Training aims to improve
«dynamic and static postural control». Further
recommended and behaviour-based preventive
approaches relate to the senses/perception, medical
factors as well as medication. Recommended
preventive options that can be allocated to situational
prevention include private and public
infrastructures as well as (safety) products. However,
infrastructural approaches to prevention in the
private sector can only be considered recommended
if senior citizens already have a history of falls
and the infrastructural possibilities are combined
with others, such as, for example, training to improve
dynamic and static postural control (multiple
forms of intervention). Preventive options relating
to private infrastructure are only monofactorial in
character, i.e. they represent a single measure, and
are only recommended with reservations. Therefore,
comparative forms of situation-based preventive
intervention, should always be planned and
implemented in combination or in addition to behavioral
preventive measures.
Table 4
Recommended prevention possibilities for falls among adults
Risk factor
Prevention possibility
Public infrastructure
(e.g. roads, paths, public amenities)
Speedy and timely snow removal
Climatic conditions
Use of gritting materials such as
sand or grit
Private infrastructure
(own home, e.g. apartment, house, garden)
Absence of anti-slip elements Installation of anti-slip materials
(bathtubs, showers, wet cells etc.)
bfu-Sicherheitsdossier Nr. 09 Kurzfassung / Version abrégée / Riassunto / Condensed Version 75