Tailored group exercise (Falls Management Exercise — FaME) reduces falls in community-dwelling older frequent fallers (an RCT)

TLDR

Frequent fallers experience chronic conditions, functional decline, higher fracture rates, and poor outcomes, and current hip‑fracture surgery cannot improve these, making fall prevention essential, yet no evidence exists that tailored group exercise alone can prevent falls in this high‑risk group. The study tested whether a 36‑week individualized tailored group and home exercise program reduces falls and injuries among community‑dwelling women aged 65+ who frequently fall. Falls and fall‑related injuries were the primary outcome, with secondary outcomes including mortality, residential‑care admission, and hospitalization rates. Preliminary results, published in abstract form, are available.

Abstract

Frequent or recurrent fallers are more likely to have chronic medical conditions and physiological impairments, exhibit functional decline and have poor outcomes, than single fallers [1]. Fractures are also more common in recurrent fallers than single fallers [2]. Modern surgery for hip fracture can no longer improve on its outcomes [3] and therefore, effective prevention of falls [4, 5] is the key to preventing disability and death. There is still no published evidence that a single intervention (tailored group exercise) can prevent falls or injuries in a high risk group of frequent fallers. This randomised controlled trial (RCT) aimed to investigate the impact of a 36 week individualised and tailored group and home exercise intervention, compared with a control intervention, in reducing falls and injuries in communitydwelling, independent-living, frequent falling women aged 65 years and over. Preliminary results have been published in abstract form [6]. The primary outcome was falls and fallrelated injuries. The secondary outcome was the number of frequent fallers who had died, had moved into residential care or were in hospital compared with the group they were in.