[Practical picking up of elderly people in case of falls]

Falls in old persons are now considered as a "true" geriatric syndrome, because are frequent, multi-factorial with severe outcomes: increased morbidity, functional inabilities and mortality. In our current health care system, the primary care physician is the first to detect the fall and indeed to manage and coordinate the various interventions of the multiple healthcare professionals. To be effective, he needs simple screening tools, and also structured procedures as well as the support of specialized networks of care. However the current offer is highly variable from one canton to another. This article tries to provide validated screening tools to the primary care physician and useful contact addresses of public associations and services able to favor home care support.