Decline in Elderly Community Residents

The increase in the incidence of falls is a fact of great repercussion in the world of Public Health, generating increased costs and more use of services, as well as new challenges for the elaboration and operationalization of assistance plans aimed at maintaining the quality of life, independence and autonomy of the elderly. In view of the high individual and social impact resulting from this grievance, and considering the real situation of the Brazilian elderly, who are largely assisted by the public health network, urgent measures should be incorporated into the primary care networks in order to disseminate interventions that reduce the factors associated with the risk of falling. Despite the evidence proving the beneficial effects of multifactorial programs that include physical exercise, there is a need to understand the logic of a treatment policy aimed at massifying fall prevention strategies in order to establish their scope and effectiveness as assistance in the field of functional health. Considering all these aspects, there is a need for research to analyse the effects of population-based preventive programmes on the reduction of fall risks.