Severity of injuries associated with falls in the community dwelling elderly are not affected by fall characteristics and physical function level

Demura, Shinichi; Yamada, Takayoshi; Kasuga, Kosho

doi:10.1016/j.archger.2011.06.033

Cited by 18 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…We found a strong association between the direction of the fall and the likelihood of injury. Others have not seen this relationship (Demura et al 2012 ), but these researchers did not distinguish falls backward into a seated position (low risk for injury) from those backward and landing flat (higher risk for injury). In our study, falling backward and landing flat was about five and a half times as likely to result in an injury, and falling sideways was four times as likely, compared to falling backward and landing in a sitting position.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Circumstances and outcomes of falls among high risk community-dwelling older adults

2014

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Background For older adults, falls threaten their health, independence, and quality of life. Knowing the circumstances surrounding falls is essential for understanding how behavioral and environmental factors interact in fall events. It is also important for developing and implementing interventions that are effective and acceptable to older adults. This study investigated the circumstances and injury outcomes of falls among community-dwelling older adults at high risk of falling. Methods In this secondary analysis, we examined the circumstances and outcomes of falls experienced by 328 participants in the Dane County (Wisconsin) Safety Assessment for Elders (SAFE) Research Study. SAFE was a randomized controlled trial of a community-based multifactorial falls intervention for older adults at high risk for falls, conducted from October 2002 to December 2007. Participants were community-dwelling adults aged ≥65 years who reported at least one fall during the year after study enrollment. Falls were collected prospectively using monthly calendars. Everyone who reported a fall was contacted by telephone to determine the circumstances surrounding the event. Injury outcomes were defined as none, mild (injury reported but no treatment sought), moderate (treatment for any injury except head injury or fracture), and severe (treatment for head injury or fracture). Results Data were available for 1,172 falls. A generalized linear mixed model analysis showed that being age ≥85 (OR = 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2–3.9), female (OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.3–3.4), falling backward and landing flat (OR = 5.6, 95% CI = 2.9–10.5), sideways (OR = 4.6, 95% CI = 2.6–8.0) and forward (OR = 3.3, 95% CI = 2.0–5.7) were significantly associated with the likelihood of injury. Of 783 falls inside the home, falls in the bathroom were more than twice as likely to result in an injury compared to falls in the living room (OR = 2.4, 95% CI = 1.2–4.9). Conclusions Most falls among these high risk older adults occurred inside the home. The likelihood of injury in the bathroom supports the need for safety modifications such as grab bars, and may indicate a need for assistance with bathing. These findings will help clinicians tailor fall prevention for their patients and have practical implications for retirement and assisted living communities and community-based fall prevention programs.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Circumstances and outcomes of falls among high risk community-dwelling older adults

2014

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“…alls reduce the quality of life and increase the cost of health care [1,2]. Approximately 30% of people aged 65 years or older experience at least one fall a year and the rate of hospitalization due to falling was reported to be 81% [3][4][5][6]. Falls in the elderly imposes heavy costs on society [7].…”

Section: Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence of Risk Factors for Falls Among the Elderly Receiving Care at Home

Na'emani

Zali

Sohrabi

et al. 2019

Salmand

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Use your device to scan and read the article online Objectives Elderly people are at the highest risk for falling. In order to design and implement effective interventions and reduce the incidence of falling and its resulting injuries, the relative importance of each risk factor should be determined. This study aimed to determine how frequently different factors contribute to falls among the elderly served by one home health agency in Tehran. Methods & MaterialsThis study was a descriptive-analytic and cross-sectional study. A total of 400 elderly were selected through random cluster sampling method from all 22 districts of Tehran City, Iran. The study data were collected through a researcher-made questionnaire of falling risk factors. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: first, demographic questions and second, questions related to falling in 7 dimensions (including 60 questions). The obtained data were analyzed in SPSS (V. 19) through descriptive and inferential statistics. Results In this study, female samples were 52.5% of the participants (n=400) and the elderly mean±SD age was 78±8 years. The total frequency of falling among the elderly was 28% (112 out of 400). Among the elderly who had fallen (n= 112), 64 (57.1%) of them were female and their Mean±SD age was 80±7.5 years. About 82% of them fell down inside their homes, with these separate frequencies: bathroom (19.6%), toilet (18%), bedroom (18%), and hall (16%). Parts of the body which were more frequently affected by falls in forms of injuries, bone fractures, dislocations, etc., were the pelvis (26.8%), arms (22.3%) and legs (19.6%). Around 43.8% of the falling among the elderly had led to hospitalization, 44.9%, between 1 and 5 days, 36.7% between 6 and 10 days, and 18.4% between 11 and 15 days. The relationship between falls and the medical, lifestyle, or environmental risk factors was non-significant. Conclusion A high percentage of affected elderly were hospitalized after the incident, and among them a high percentage stayed in the hospital for a long time imposing considerable costs to the health system. Moreover, sensory and neuromuscular risk factors were the most frequent causes of falls which could be prevented by rehabilitation measures. Results showed that people who are afraid of falling have a higher risk of falling which requires adequate and special attention to this psychological risk factor. Compliance with ethical guidelinesThis study is an approved research project (registration code: 31287-38-01-95) supported by

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“…Demura et al, found that community dwelling older adults with high scoring activities of daily living (i.e., moving from one place of the house to another, grooming and showering oneself, etc.) had lower rates of falls [10] . Mounting scientific evidence suggests that among older adult populations, remaining active through varying levels of physical activity appears protective against falls and injuries related to falls [7] , [8] , [11] , [12] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Preventing Slips and Falls through Leisure-Time Physical Activity: Findings from a Study of Limited-Service Restaurants

et al. 2014

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Background/ObjectivePhysical activity has been shown to be beneficial at improving health in some medical conditions and in preventing injury. Epidemiologic studies suggest that physical activity is one factor associated with a decreased risk for slips and falls in the older (≥65 years) adult population. While the risk of slips and falls is generally lower in younger than in older adults; little is known of the relative contribution of physical activity in preventing slips and falls in younger adults. We examined whether engagement in leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) was protective of slips and falls among a younger/middle-aged (≤50 years old) working population.Methods475 workers from 36 limited-service restaurants in six states in the U.S. were recruited to participate in a prospective cohort study of workplace slipping. Information on LTPA was collected at the time of enrollment. Participants reported their slip experience and work hours weekly for up to 12 weeks. We investigated the association between the rate of slipping and the rate of major slipping (i.e., slips that resulted in a fall and/or injury) and LTPA for workers 50 years of age and younger (n = 433, range 18–50 years old) using a multivariable negative binomial generalized estimating equation model.ResultsThe rate of major slips among workers who engaged in moderate (Adjusted Rate Ratio (RR) = 0.65; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) = [0.18–2.44]) and vigorous (RR = 0.64; 95%CI = [0.18–2.26]) LTPA, while non-significant, were approximately one-third lower than the rate of major slips among less active workers.ConclusionWhile not statistically significant, the results suggest a potential association between engagement in moderate and vigorous LTPA and the rate of major slips in younger adults. Additional studies that examine the role of occupational and non-occupational physical activity on the risk of slips, trips and falls among younger and middle aged adults appear warranted.

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Severity of injuries associated with falls in the community dwelling elderly are not affected by fall characteristics and physical function level

Cited by 18 publications

References 10 publications

Circumstances and outcomes of falls among high risk community-dwelling older adults

Circumstances and outcomes of falls among high risk community-dwelling older adults

Prevalence of Risk Factors for Falls Among the Elderly Receiving Care at Home

Preventing Slips and Falls through Leisure-Time Physical Activity: Findings from a Study of Limited-Service Restaurants

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