Reducing falls in seniors


Each year, 30% of seniors have at least one fall—half of whom fall more than once. In fact, 9 out of 10 hip fractures result from falls. These falls can have dire consequences, 20% lead to death and a further 20% result in seniors being admitted to care homes for the balance of their life. Fortunately, falls are preventable, and there is evidence that the Otago Exercise Program, which consists of strength and balance training delivered by a physiotherapist, can reduce falls in seniors.

Arthritis Research Canada’s senior research scientist Dr Linda Li is co-leading a team of fellow scientists, arthritis research trainees, and patient experts in a 3-year study and randomized trial using the traditional Otago program or an enhanced version that includes an exercise coach. The research team recently demonstrated that exercise coaching with the use of a consumer wearable, such as a Fitbit, was feasible and could help older adults with chronic disease to stay active. A key element was to empower the person to develop realistic exercise goals.

In this project, the team will test two methods of delivering the Otago program, which includes a new coaching approach by a physiotherapist and the use of a Fitbit to provide feedback (versus the traditional delivery, which is the current standard). The team will measure success by the degree to which the program is delivered as intended, and the degree to which it is followed by seniors at 12, 18, and 24 months. The number of falls, risk of falling, and participation in walking activities between the two groups will also be assessed over time. In addition, the team will assess whether the coaching approach is a cost-effective option for delivering the Otago program. To read more about Dr Li and her work, visit www.arthritisresearch.ca/linda-li.

. Reducing falls in seniors. BCMJ, Vol. 62, No. 1, January, February, 2020, Page(s) 33 - News.



Above is the information needed to cite this article in your paper or presentation. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) recommends the following citation style, which is the now nearly universally accepted citation style for scientific papers:
Halpern SD, Ubel PA, Caplan AL, Marion DW, Palmer AM, Schiding JK, et al. Solid-organ transplantation in HIV-infected patients. N Engl J Med. 2002;347:284-7.

About the ICMJE and citation styles

The ICMJE is small group of editors of general medical journals who first met informally in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1978 to establish guidelines for the format of manuscripts submitted to their journals. The group became known as the Vancouver Group. Its requirements for manuscripts, including formats for bibliographic references developed by the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), were first published in 1979. The Vancouver Group expanded and evolved into the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), which meets annually. The ICMJE created the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals to help authors and editors create and distribute accurate, clear, easily accessible reports of biomedical studies.

An alternate version of ICMJE style is to additionally list the month an issue number, but since most journals use continuous pagination, the shorter form provides sufficient information to locate the reference. The NLM now lists all authors.

BCMJ standard citation style is a slight modification of the ICMJE/NLM style, as follows:

  • Only the first three authors are listed, followed by "et al."
  • There is no period after the journal name.
  • Page numbers are not abbreviated.


For more information on the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, visit www.icmje.org

BCMJ Guidelines for Authors

Leave a Reply