Falling is a major cause of concern in long-term care facilities. The asses
sment of risk factors can help the clinician determine the future potential
for falling in long-term care residents. Risk factors for falling are iden
tified, methods that can be used to assess balance are discussed, and physi
cal and environmental changes that can decrease the risk of falls are ident
ified. Preventing falls can not be assigned to one discipline in long-term
care. Prevention of falls is a health care team issue and must be addressed
in a multidisciplinary fashion to be effective in long-term care settings.