Dementia as a Risk Factor for Falls and Fall Injuries Among Nursing Home Residents

Abstract

Dementia is an independent risk factor for falling. Although most falls do not result in injury, the fact that residents with dementia fall more often than their counterparts without dementia leaves them with a higher overall risk of sustaining injurious falls over time. Nursing home residents with dementia should be considered important candidates for fall-prevention and fall-injury-prevention strategies.

Sociotechnical probabilistic risk modeling to predict injurious falls in community living centers

“…Van Doorn et al gathered prospective data over a 2 yr period from 2,015 persons aged 65 yr and over from 59 randomized nursing homes [18]. Researchers found that if a resident had dementia the unadjusted fall rate was 4.05 falls per year compared with 2.33 falls per year for residents without dementia (p < 0.001).…”

Antihypertensive Treatment in People With Dementia

“…The risk of falls and fractures is higher in people with dementia compared to those without [15][16][17] . In addition, some antihypertensive treatments have been shown to increase the risk for falls and fractures in older people [18][19] .…”

Intraindividual Stepping Reaction Time Variability Predicts Falls in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment

“…Risk factors for falls in older adults are multifaceted and include impairment in both physiological (3) and cognitive domains (4). Regarding the latter, it is well established that dementia-related cognitive deficits increase the risk of falling (5). However, recent research suggests that Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in the absence of dementia is also associated with falls (6,7).…”