Innovative approaches to fall prevention in community‐dwelling older adults

PerspectiveInnovative approaches to fall prevention in community-dwelling older adults F alls among community-dwelling older adults represent a major public health challenge in Australia, and globally.Every day, about 400 older Australians are admitted to hospital due to falls.The consequences can be life-changing, with fall-related injuries often leading to long term disability, loss of independence, social isolation and premature entry into long term care.These impacts extend beyond the individual, placing significant strain on families, carers and the broader health care system.Falls cost more than $2.8 billion annually and reduce the availability of health care resources for people of all ages. 1 Despite evidence from more than 600 trialssummarised across 12 Cochrane reviews -indicating that 20-30% of falls are preventable, 2 fall prevention in Australia remains fragmented, underfunded and inconsistently implemented.3 This perspective article reviews the evidence on traditional and innovative approaches to fall prevention in community-dwelling older adults, highlighting hybrid models that combine in-person programs with digital solutions to improve accessibility and cost-effectiveness.A summary of these traditional and innovative approaches is presented in the Box.