Clinical Interventions in Aging

Falls Prevention and Mobility Preservation in Aging: From Risk Assessment to Multifactorial Interventions

Mobility loss and falls are among the most significant drivers of functional decline, loss of independence, and healthcare utilization in older adults. One in three community-dwelling adults over 65 years falls annually, and fall-related injuries represent the leading cause of emergency department visits and hospital admissions in this population. While aging is associated with physiological changes in gait, balance, and muscle strength, falls are not inevitable. Evidence demonstrates that well-designed, multifactorial interventions can reduce fall rates by 20–30%. However, translation of these evidence-based strategies into routine clinical practice, particularly in primary care, long-term care, and post-hospital discharge settings, remains inconsistent. This Article Collection brings together high-quality, open-access research addressing the full spectrum of falls prevention, from initial risk stratification to scalable, real-world interventions.

With the rapid growth of the global aging population, the human and economic burden of falls is projected to rise substantially unless effective, implementable solutions are adopted widely. Beyond physical injuries, falls lead to fear of falling, social isolation, premature nursing home placement, and increased caregiver burden. Importantly, many falls are preventable through approaches that extend beyond simple checklists. Recent advances include wearable sensor-based gait analysis, deprescribing of fall-risk-increasing drugs (e.g., benzodiazepines, antihypertensives, anticholinergics), dual-task cognitive-motor training, home environmental modifications, and telehealth coaching. Yet clinicians face fragmented guidance on which interventions work for which patient subgroups. This Collection will synthesize actionable evidence to bridge the know-do gap, emphasizing pragmatic, scalable, and interdisciplinary strategies that preserve mobility and dignity across the aging continuum, from robust community-dwellers to frail individuals with cognitive impairment or multimorbidity.

This Collection welcomes original research, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and brief reports on subtopics including but not limited to: (1) novel risk screening tools (wearables, remote sensors, short physical performance battery modifications); (2) deprescribing and pharmacovigilance for fall-risk-increasing drugs; (3) exercise and dual-task training interventions; (4) home environmental and smart home modifications; (5) post-fall psychological support and fear of falling interventions; (6) assistive technologies (smart canes, detectors, exoskeletons); (7) interventions in special populations (dementia, Parkinson’s disease, sarcopenia, nursing home residents); and (8) implementation science and healthcare system models (multifactorial falls clinics, interdisciplinary teams, quality improvement). All manuscripts will undergo full, independent peer review.

Keywords:

• Falls Prevention
• Digital Health Technologies
• Geriatric Interventions
• Exercise Interventions
• Healthy Aging

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo desk assessment and peer review if they can pass the desk assessments as part of our standard editorial process; the Guest Advisor for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 31 July 2027.

Please contact Catherine Teng at catherine.teng@taylorandfrancis.com  with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.