After an older adult falls, family members can help with protection in this way
A trauma center in the United States reduced repeat falls by recording fall details, assessing physical function, checking medications, testing vitamin D, using home checklists, and community exercise resources. These practices can be used as a reference. There is no identical process in China; family members can use them to ask doctors questions, and professionals can draw on the ideas.
Machine translation of our Chinese article, without human translation review. Suggestions concerning China remain specific to China.
Automatically reviewed, without human verification. Programmatic checks are not professional review. Seek professional advice where appropriate. Automatically reviewed on 10/4/2026, 7:14:25 AM
Chinese fact summaries and suggestions for China (not a full translation)
Original: Keep Them STEADI: Preventing Older Adult Falls in Hospitals | STEADI - Older Adult Fall Prevention | CDC · Original language: en
Read the original ↗Facts from the sources
At the Reeves-Jones Trauma Center in Dallas, the hospital collects information such as the location of the fall and approximate fall height from older patients using a fall documentation form in the electronic health record, to help identify environmental risks. View source
Patients at risk of another fall receive a functional assessment. The results can be used to decide whether additional medical services such as vision care and physical therapy are needed before discharge. View source
Medical staff in the program use the American Geriatrics Society Beers Criteria to review older adults' medications, with attention to avoiding drugs that may be harmful or unsuitable for older adults. For specific medication adjustments, consult medical and pharmaceutical professionals. View source
Trauma nurses in the program review older patients' medical records during case management to determine whether to recommend vitamin D supplementation. Older adults can consult professionals about supplementation. View source
The program provides patients and caregivers with home safety educational materials and a home assessment checklist, and asks family members or friends to fill out the checklist and return it to medical staff, so that fall-prevention education can be carried out before discharge. View source
The program provides older patients and their families with a resource list of community exercise and fall-prevention programs, and writes outpatient treatment prescriptions after the patient is discharged. View source
For older people and families
After an older adult falls, try to recall and clearly describe where they fell and from what height. Family members should write down these details and tell the doctor at the visit.
Proactively ask the doctor: Does the older adult need a functional assessment? For example, walking, balance, and vision affect fall risk.
Bring all medications the older adult usually takes (including supplements), and ask the doctor to check by professional standards whether any are unsuitable for older adults. Do not stop them on your own.
You can consult the doctor about whether the older adult needs to be tested for vitamin D or take vitamin D supplements; decide only after asking.
Ask the hospital or community for a home safety checklist. Use the checklist to check the floors, lighting, bathroom, and hallways at home.
Before discharge, ask the doctors and nurses clearly: what to watch for at home, what rehabilitation training is needed, and how often follow-up visits are needed.
If the doctor says physical therapy or a vision examination is needed, try to follow through; these can help reduce falls from happening again.
Ask whether the community has exercise classes or fall-prevention courses suitable for older adults, and first confirm whether the older adult's physical condition allows participation.
See what care and community teams can do
Practices from other countries can be used as a reference: add a fall information field in electronic medical records or nursing records, recording the fall location, physical condition after the fall, etc., to help identify environmental risks.
For older adults at risk of falling again, a functional assessment can be arranged, and the results for vision, walking, balance, etc., can be used to decide whether to refer to a specialist.
For medication review, tools such as the Beers Criteria can be used for reference, combined with China's drug catalogs and clinical guidelines, and reviewed by pharmacists or doctors. Note that the criteria need to be updated regularly.
Vitamin D supplementation should be determined based on laboratory tests and individual circumstances; it should not be routinely required for all older adults. The specific decision should be made by the doctor.
Design home-safety handouts and checklists suitable for your institution, give them to discharged older adults and their family members, and ask family members to provide feedback by filling them out, as a basis for discharge education.
Establish a community resource referral mechanism, contact local senior universities, community centers, and rehabilitation facilities, provide information on exercise or fall-prevention courses, and indicate which ones are public welfare services.
Before implementation, train nursing staff and doctors, clarify responsibilities in each step of documentation, assessment, and referral, and avoid increasing the burden on older adults.
If institutions in China introduce similar practices, they must first obtain guidance from the ethics and hospital infection control departments. Process changes must comply with local regulations and cannot simply copy the single-center model from other countries.
What needs local assessment
This material comes from a single-center case at a trauma center in Dallas, USA. It does not mean all hospitals do this, nor does it represent current policy in China. Medical plans (including medication adjustment, vitamin D supplementation, and functional assessment) must be judged by professionals based on individual circumstances. Family members should not treat consultable matters as mandatory requirements. When home modifications involve load-bearing, slip-resistance ratings, and dimensions, ask a professional institution to measure and verify on site. Fact source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Source: CDC). The original material is available free of charge on the CDC website. This website and the localization recommendations do not represent endorsement by CDC, HHS, or the U.S. government; no images or logos from them have been reproduced.
Sources
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDCWas this article helpful?
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