3. Three pillars of the WHO Falls
Prevention Model:
a) Pillar One - Building awareness of the
importance of falls prevention:
There is a need to build awareness of the
importance of falls within all sectors of
society that are impacted by falls and
fall-related injuries. Awareness building
is not restricted to educating individuals
and groups about the significance of falls
as modifiable risk factors for disabling
conditions and increased mortality. It also
involves education about the increasing
economic and social costs associated with
the failure to address falls and fall-risk
factors in a systematic manner. Awareness
will need to be built within the following
constituencies:
Older persons: Any strategy to build awareness
of the importance of falls and fall
prevention must begin with older persons
themselves. Many of them are unaware
that falls are preventable. In many cultures
falling is considered to be a normal, unavoidable
consequence of growing older.
The WHO Active Ageing Framework calls
for increasing basic-health education and
health literacy through a commitment to
lifelong learning about health and disease
prevention. By applying such an approach
to educating older adults about falls and
fall prevention, not only would older adults
become more aware of the importance of
paying close attention to fall-related risk
factors and determinants but they would
also be more likely to take action to correct
these challenges to their health and independence