A fall risk assessment checks to see how likely it is that you will fall. It is mostly done for older adults. The assessment usually includes:
- An initial screening. This includes a series of questions about your overall health and if you’ve had previous falls or problems with balance, standing, and/or walking.
- A set of tasks, known as fall assessment tools. These tools test your strength, balance, and gait (the way you walk).
Other names: fall risk evaluation, fall risk screening, assessment, and intervention
A fall risk assessment is used to find out if you have a low, moderate, or high risk of falling. If the assessment shows you are at an increased risk, your health care provider and/or caregiver may recommend strategies to prevent falls and reduce the chance of injury.
- NCOA Falls Free CheckUp – Check to see if you’re at risk of falling with NCOA’s Falls Free CheckUp tool.
- This falls risk screen is endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and is part of the CDC’s Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries (STEADI) Resources for health care professionals and consumers.
-
-
- CDC Stay Independent Brochure – Fall Risk Self-Assessment
- CDC What You Can Do to Prevent Falls Brochure – Customizable
- CDC My Mobility Plan – A mobility planning tool to help you stay independent, safe at home, mobile in your community.
NC Assistive Technology Program
The North Carolina Assistive Technology Program (NCATP) works with people of all ages and abilities, providing assessments, equipment demos, short term device loans, training, and referrals to funding sources. Assistive Technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment, or product that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of an individual with a disability. Various AT devices and equipment can be used as an aide in preventing & reducing falls among individuals. Visit the NCATP website.