Evaluation of and prevention strategies for falls and geriatric syndromes in geriatric individuals followed by home health services: a single-centre study

Abstract

Background Falls are an important health problem that can lead to morbidity and mortality in geriatric patients. In this study examined, various factors associated with falls and fear of falling in geriatric patients were examined. Methods This was a prospective, analytical study, and the sample size was calculated to be 320 participants with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 0.05. Patients who met the inclusion criteria were evaluated during home visits or hospitalizations. An 11-question sociodemographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire was developed by the researchers after reviewing the literature using a data collection form. The FRAIL Scale, Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool, Barthel Index, Itaki Fall Risk Scale, Six-Item Screener, Tinetti Balance and Gait Test, and Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form (GDS-SF) were used to evaluate whether the participants had geriatric syndromes. Results The mean age of the 320 participants was 81.52 ± 7.57 years, and approximately half of the participants were female. The rate of malnutrition was 77.8%. A total of 57.2% of the participants had environmental hazards in their homes, 58.8% had a history of falls, 54.4% had a fear of falling, and 44.1% had experienced an injury due to a fall. There were statistically significant correlations between a history of falls and fear of falls and age, calf circumference, the number of medications used, environmental hazards in the home, fragility, malnutrition risk, and the Itaki Fall Risk Scale, Barthel Index, total Tinetti Balance and Gait Test, and total GDS-SF scores. Conclusions The incidence of falls in this study was high, and falls were associated with general health status, age, and nutritional status. In addition, using a single scale for determining the risk of falls is not appropriate, and many parameters should be included in screenings.