Falls: concepts, frequency and applications to the elderly assistance. Review of the literature

A review of the literature on falls in community-dwelling elderly was conducted, identifying prevalence, risk factors and consequences associated to falls, as well as screening, assessment and preventive measures to falls in old age. We selected publications indexed in the following data bases: Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE), both consulted through PubMed; (Lilacs) Latin-American and Caribean Science of Health) and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), from 2008 to 2012; 41 references were analyzed. The evidences surveyed in this study highlight falls as a condition of great complexity that imposes great challenge for elderly and health professionals. We emphasize the importance of identification and management of determinant factors and consequences associated with falls, coupled with the design of multifactorial preventive strategies for elderly vulnerable to falls and among those with history of recurrent falls.