Opportunities to Digitally Enable Falls Prevention in Older Adults.

Abstract

Falls are a serious problem confronting older adults. Evidence demonstrates that multifactorial interventions that target multiple risk factors can reduce falls. However, resource and access constraints impact intervention uptake and sustainability. In comparison, digitally enabled interventions have the potential to provide greater support and convenience whilst being tailored to an individual. While digital advancements present an opportunity to improve access, scalability and sustainability, there is limited knowledge on how to digitally enable traditional interventions. In this article, we summarise the academic literature on digital falls prevention and propose future research directions for digital falls prevention. We examine barriers and enablers to digital falls prevention in aged care, although, given the scarcity of evidence, we draw on lessons from other digital healthcare innovations.