Finally, falls prevention policies and programmes
cannot be targeted at only one
level of determinants or risk-factors.
Effective strategies will need to acknowledge
and balance multiple levels of determinants
including recognizing the
importance of individual-level risk factors
and responsibilities; the development of
age-friendly and enabling environments;
and the formulation of policies and programmes
that maximize participation and
inclusion of older persons.
The WHO Falls Prevention Model is built
around three pillars that are highly interrelated
and mutually dependent;
(1) Building awareness of the importance of
falls prevention and treatment;
(2) Improving the assessment of individual,
environmental and societal factors that
increase the likelihood of falls; and
(3) Facilitating the design and implementation
of culturally-appropriated evidencebased
interventions that will significantly
reduce the number of falls among older
persons.
Making progress in implementing the strategies
identified in each of these pillars will
require an ongoing commitment to capacity
building, education, and training in all
countries and regions.