older people’s health issues
Falls in Older Adults
Diagnosis of Falls
A doctor's evaluation Sometimes laboratory tests It is vitally important for people to tell their doctor if they have fallen, even if the doctor has not asked, so that the doctor can uncover treatable reasons behind the fall. People who have fallen may be reluctant to tell their doctor because they think falling is just part of getting older, especially if they have not been injured. Even people who have been seriously injured during a fall and have been treated in an emergency department may be reluctant to admit they have fallen. They may not want others to think they are helpless and now must move from their home into a more supervised environment such as a nursing home. To identify the cause of the fall, doctors ask about the circumstances of the fall, including any symptoms experienced just before the fall (such as dizziness, Dizziness and Vertigo , and Doctors do a physical examination first to check for injuries and to obtain information about possible causes of the fall. Parts of the examination include the following: Diagnosis : If blood pressure decreases when people stand up, the fall may have been caused by Physical Examination : With a stethoscope, doctors listen to the heart for evidence of a very slow heart rate, Physical Examination : Doctors assess the back and legs and check for problems in the feet. The Eye Examination and Doctors sometimes ask people to do some usual activities, such as sitting in a chair and then standing up and walking or stepping up on a step. Observing these activities may help doctors identify conditions that contributed to the fall. If the fall resulted from an environmental hazard and no major injury occurred, no tests may be done. However, when people’s physical condition could have contributed to the fall, tests may be needed. For example, when the physical examination detects evidence of a heart problem, heart rate and rhythm may be recorded using Electrocardiography (ECG). This test may take a few minutes and be done in the doctor’s office, or people may be asked to wear a portable ECG device ( 