Abstract

Falls are an increasingly problematic challenge for an aging society. Falls are accidental and unforeseen occurrences. Given that the vast number of annual falls are sustained by elderly, community-dwelling individuals, identifying effective means for reducing them is imperative for this group and its caregivers. Patient education is essential in increasing fall-prevention awareness and reducing falls in community-dwelling individuals. Unfortunately, formal educational fall-prevention programs within private practices are limited. Multiple theoretical frameworks for fall-prevention education exist; however, a knowledge gap was identified in fall-prevention educational programs by applying andragogic principles to patients in the elderly population. Contributions of this paper include identifying the advantages of using andragogic principles of adult education as a theoretical framework in conjunction with health promotion as a foundation for future research in fall-prevention educational programs in community-based settings.