What predicts falls among older adults living in the community?
A review of reviews identified balance, physical function and several health-related measures as consistent predictors of falls. Social and environmental factors received much less research attention.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Among older adults living in the community, balance, physical function, cognition, medication use, frailty and chronic conditions were consistent predictors of subsequent falls. These observational relationships identify patterns of risk; they do not establish that changing a particular factor prevents falls. Sparse evidence on social and environmental circumstances also limits the picture.
The abstract summarizes the frequency of reported relationships rather than providing pooled fall-risk estimates. It does not give follow-up durations or enough detail to assess individual prediction accuracy.
How was the evidence assembled?
The authors reviewed existing systematic reviews of studies that followed people over time. Their analysis counted relationships between candidate risk factors and falls, rather than testing a fall-prevention program or estimating its effectiveness.
What do the reported patterns mean?
Consistency across reported relationships is different from the size of someone's fall risk. The abstract also identifies gaps in psychosocial, environmental and demographic research; limited evidence in those areas does not establish that they are unimportant.
The original publication
Risk Factors for Falls in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: An Umbrella Review.
Saunders S, D'Amore C, Hao Q et al.
J Am Med Dir Assoc · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 40651502
- Record checked
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