A population-based study of environmental hazards in the homes of older persons.

Gill, Thomas M.; Williams, Christianna S.; Robison, Julie; Tinetti, Mary E.

doi:10.2105/ajph.89.4.553

Cited by 87 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…As noted in other studies, 7,10,11 environmental hazards were present in nearly all dwelling units. The home safety assessments by occupational therapists revealed an average of 10 hazards per dwelling unit, the most common being absence of suitably placed grab rails in the bathroom and/or toilet (see Figure 1).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Home safety assessment in the prevention of falls among older people

Peel

Steinberg

Williams

2000

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

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Objective:Home safety assessment was examined as part of a randomised trial of falls prevention interventions among older community dwellers. Method:Falls prevention strategies, including education and awareness‐raising, exercise, home modifications and medical assessment, were trialled with 252 members of the National Seniors Association. Falls outcomes were monitored using a daily calendar diary during intervention and follow‐up periods. Results:The home assessment group was significantly more likely to modify their home environment than the controls (p<0.0001). Participants, regardless of group allocation, reported a significant reduction in concern about falling (p<0.0001). During the intervention, the home assessment group had lower incidence rates for falls and injuries than the control group, although differences were not significant. The lowered rates were sustained post‐intervention. Conclusions:While the effect on falls incidence of a home safety intervention on its own could not be demonstrated, other benefits, including improved confidence attributable to awareness of such falls prevention measures, were recorded. Implication:The null effects of home modifications on falls prevention in this study may indicate that the program is more appropriate for the frail aged.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 77%

Home safety assessment in the prevention of falls among older people

Peel

Steinberg

Williams

2000

Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health

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“…The increased postural instability under dim lighting conditions might contribute to this increased risk of falling -and, of course, under such conditions, there is an increased likelihood that potential obstacles will not be detected. Nearly half of a sample of US community-dwelling older people had dim lighting in at least one room [13], whilst 1 of 5 older people in a UK study reported not using the light at all when moving around the house at night [14]. Encouraging older people to install and use adequate lighting (at least 10 lx) might thus reduce the risk of falls in the home.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of the Visual Environment on the Postural Stability in Healthy Older Women

et al. 2002

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Background: A poor postural stability in older people is associated with an increased risk of falling. It is recognized that visual environment factors (such as poor lighting and repeating patterns on escalators) may contribute to falls, but little is known about the effects of the visual environment on postural stability in the elderly. Objective: To determine whether the postural stability of older women (using body sway as a measure) differed under five different visual environment conditions. Methods: Subjects were 33 healthy women aged 65–76 years. Body sway was measured using an electronic force platform which identified the location of their centre of gravity every 0.05 s. Maximal lateral sway and anteroposterior sway were determined and the sway velocity calculated over 1-min trial periods. Body sway was measured under each of the following conditions: (1) normal laboratory lighting (186 lx); (2) moderate lighting (10 lx); (3) dim lighting (1 lx); (4) eyes closed, and (5) repeating pattern projected onto a wall. Results: Each measure of the postural stability was significantly poorer in condition 4 (eyes closed) than in all other conditions. Anteroposterior sway was greater in condition 3 than in conditions 1 and 2, whilst the sway velocity was greater in condition 3 than in condition 2. Lateral sway did not differ significantly between different lighting levels (conditions 1–3). A projected repeating pattern (condition 5) did not significantly influence the postural stability relative to condition 1. Conclusions: The substantially greater body sway with eyes closed than with eyes open confirms the importance of vision in maintaining the postural stability. At the lowest light level, the body sway was significantly increased as compared with the other light levels, but was still substantially smaller than on closing the eyes. A projected repeating pattern did not influence the postural stability. Dim lighting levels and removing visual input appear to be associated with a poorer postural stability in older people and hence might be associated with an increased risk of falls.

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“…1999 yılında yaptıkları toplum temelli çalışmada, toplumda yaşayan yaşlı kişilerin evlerindeki çevresel tehlikelerin yaygın olduğunu bulmuşlardır (24). Yine bu çalışmada banyo en tehlikeli alan olarak bulunmuştur.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

The effect of home modifications to the quality of life in elderly people

Altuntaş¹,

Kayıhan²

2015

Turk J Physiother Rehabil

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Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı; ev düzenlemelerinin yaşlıların yaşam kalitesine, depresyonuna ve kognitif durumuna etkisini incelemekti.Yöntemler: Çalışmamıza evde yaşayan 65 yaş ve üzeri koopere olan, demansı bulunmayan ve yatağa bağımlı olmayan 60 olgu alındı. Çalışmamızda ev düzenlemelerini, adaptif ekipmanların ve yardımcı cihazların kullanımını, düşmeleri önlemek için davranış değişikliğini içeren önerileri uygulayan 30 olguyla çalışma grubu oluşturulurken; bu önerileri uygulamayan 22 olguyla da kontrol grubu oluşturuldu. İlk ev ziyaretinde olgulara Nottingham Sağlık Profilini, Geriatrik Depresyon Ölçeğini, Mini Mental Durum Testini ve Ev Güvenliği Kontrol Listesini içeren değerlendirmeler yapıldı. Yapılan ilk değerlendirmeyi takiben olgulara yukarıda bahsedilen konularla ilgili bilgilendirme yapıldı. Her olgu için önerilen düzenlemeler yapıldık-tan 1 ay sonra ikinci ev ziyareti yapılarak ilk değerlendirmeler tekrarlandı. Sonuçlar:Yaşam kalitesi açısından çalışma grubu lehine istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir fark bulundu (p<0.05). Kognitif durum ve depresyon puanları açısından gruplar arasında anlamlı bir fark yoktu (p>0.05). Çalışma grubundaki olguların uygulama sonrasında evlerinin daha güvenli olduğu ve evdeki davranışlarını düşmelere karşı kendilerini koruyacak şekilde değiştir-dikleri görüldü (p<0.05).Tartışma: Ev düzenlemelerinin, adaptif ekipmanların kullanımının, düşmeleri önlemek için davranış değişikliğinin ve yardımcı araç kullanımının olguların yaşam kalitesine olumlu etkisi olduğu belirlendi. Ev ziyaretlerinde yapılan düşme ile ilgili bilgilendirmenin de olguların evlerinde daha güvenli yaşamalarını sağlayan davranış değişikliklerine neden olduğu görüldü.Anahtar kelimeler: Mesken özellikleri; yaşlı; yaşam kalitesi RESEARCH ARTICLE THE EFFECT OF HOME MODIFICATIONS TO THE QUALITY OF LIFE IN ELDERLY PEOPLE ABSTRACTPurpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of home modifications to the quality of life, depression and cognitive state in the elderly. Methods:Sixty cases aged 65 years and over, who were cooperative, not suffering from dementia and not bedridden, were included in this study. The study group was composed of 30 cases who used the tips provided regarding home modifications, adaptive equipment, and assistive device use and behavioral changes to prevent falls, while the control group included 22 cases not using these tips. Evaluations including Nottingham Health Profile, Geriatric Depression Scale, Mini Mental Status Test and The Home-Screen Scale were used to evaluate the subjects at the first home visits. Following the first evaluation, the subjects were informed about the subjects which mentioned above. One month after suggesting modifications for each subject, the same evaluations were repeated at a second home visit. Results:The study group's quality of life scores were statistically significantly better (p<0.05). There was no significant difference between the groups for cognitive state and depression scores (p>0.05). We found that the study group had changed their behavior ...

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A population-based study of environmental hazards in the homes of older persons.

Cited by 87 publications

References 24 publications

Home safety assessment in the prevention of falls among older people

Home safety assessment in the prevention of falls among older people

Influence of the Visual Environment on the Postural Stability in Healthy Older Women

The effect of home modifications to the quality of life in elderly people

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