Fall Risk in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Inside the APTA Geriatrics Guideline

Physical therapists and physical therapist assistants who see older adults in outpatient, home health, wellness, and community settings, plus rehabilitation staff who contribute to community fall prevention programming.

Licensed physical therapists and physical therapist assistants, along with rehabilitation professionals and students involved in fall risk screening, exercise programming, and community fall prevention for adults aged 65 and over.

Intended audience

Physical Therapy

Level

Intermediate

Delivery format

Online, asynchronous, self-paced course: interactive reading with audio or video, and a scored post-test.

Based on

This course reports on a single source document and introduces no claims beyond it.

Kirk-Sanchez N, McDonough C, Avin KG, Blackwood J, Hanke TA. Physical Therapy Management of Fall Risk in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: An Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline From the American Physical Therapy Association — Geriatrics. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy.

The guideline was developed by a guideline development group appointed by APTA Geriatrics, an Academy of the American Physical Therapy Association. It includes a systematic review of the published literature, graded recommendations, and a decision algorithm for fall risk management, and it was externally reviewed by clinicians, academicians with expertise in fall risk management, and three older adult laypersons.

After completing this course, you will be able to:

1. Describe the population the guideline addresses — community-dwelling adults aged 65 and over — and name the groups the guideline states it does not cover.
2. State the guideline's strong recommendation regarding multicomponent exercise and the balance training characteristics it says such a program must include.
3. Distinguish the interventions the guideline recommends from those it says should not be provided on their own to reduce falls, including resistance training alone and education alone.

1. Start Here: how this course works and what the source document is
2. Podcast: Falls, Balance, and the APTA Geriatrics Guideline (about nine minutes)
3. Falls in Older Adults and the Question the Guideline Set Out to Answer
4. How the Guideline Development Group Built the Recommendations
5. What the Evidence Showed: Multifactorial Programs, Exercise, and Balance Training
6. Where the Evidence Runs Thin: Resistance Training, Perturbation Work, and Education
7. What the Guideline Says This Means for Physical Therapy Practice
8. Key Takeaways
9. Post-test and course evaluation

Quinn Millington, PT, DPT, ECS is the instructor of record: the licensed clinician who reviewed this course and signed off on it. The name and credentials print on the certificate.

Disclosures. This course was developed by The ConEd Solution, which has a financial interest in its sale. No outside funding or sponsorship was received. The instructor of record has no affiliation with the authors of the source publication or their institutions.

This course awards 0.5 contact hours (30 min). How you earn them:

1. Complete the course. Every lesson, in order.
2. Pass the post-test. Score 80% or higher. Retakes are allowed.
3. Complete the evaluation. A short form rating each learning objective and the course.
4. Download your certificate. It is issued on completion and stays available in My Account.

The episode time is its measured length. Reading, post-test and evaluation times are estimates.

This course is designed to satisfy the quality requirements state boards set for continuing education. Requirements vary by state, and confirming that a course fits your renewal is up to you. Each state’s own acceptance statement is in the credit panel on this page.

1. This course reports on a single source document and introduces no claims beyond it.
2. Kirk-Sanchez N, McDonough C, Avin KG, Blackwood J, Hanke TA. Physical Therapy Management of Fall Risk in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: An Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline From the American Physical Therapy Association — Geriatrics. Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy.
3. The guideline was developed by a guideline development group appointed by APTA Geriatrics, an Academy of the American Physical Therapy Association. It includes a systematic review of the published literature, graded recommendations, and a decision algorithm for fall risk management, and it was externally reviewed by clinicians, academicians with expertise in fall risk management, and three older adult laypersons.