An ER physician on why a single fall can change everything for an older adult — and what families can actually do to prevent the next one. In the emergency room, I see it constantly: an older adult brought in after a fall. Often the family is calm, even a little apologetic — "she just tripped, we didn't want to make a fuss." I understand the instinct. But in an older adult, a fall is rarely just a fall, which is why in residency training we are taught “there is no such thing