Prevention of fall incidents in patients with a high risk of fallin; a multidiciplinairy study on the effects of transmural health care comopared to usual care.

Subjects are visited at home where several questionnaires are completed (among which risk profile, MMSE, medication and fall questionnaire). Also 4 functional tests are conducted. Subjects at high risk of falling are randomised and the intervention group is invited to the hospital. All subjects with a high risk of falling complete a mailed questionnaire concerning the cost effectiveness 3, 6 and 12 months after the home visit. A second home visit will take place one year after the first home visit. During the second visit the functional tests are repeated. All subjects report falls on a fall calendar during 1.5 years.

1. The incidence of falls in the elderly can be reduced by identifying elderly at high risk of falling followed by a systematic multidisciplinary examination of the causes of faling and by taking tindividual preventive measures (transmural health care) in confirmity with the recommendations of the CBO guidelines;
2. The risk profile for community-dwelling elderly is valid and useful to identify elderly with a high risk of recurrent falling.

The intervention consists of identifying modifiable fall risk facotrs followed by an individually composed treatment aiming at reducing the identified risk factors.