The impact of care recipient falls on caregivers

Abstract

Falls among care recipients have a significant impact on carers, including an increased fear of falling, prompting the need for even closer vigilance. WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE TOPIC? Falls are a significant problem for older people as one in three older people fall each year and injurious falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalisation in older people. In Australia falls cost the economy over $500 million per year. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD? This paper adds a unique perspective to the falls literature, that of the older person's carer. Falls are a significant problem for community-dwelling carers of older people, contributing to carer burden and impeding the carer's ability to undertake activities of daily living because of the perceived need for constant vigilance to prevent the person they care for from falling. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTITIONERS? Practitioners should ensure that carers are aware of evidence-based falls-prevention practices and services, such as group and individual exercise programs, home modifications and podiatry, that might assist to prevent falls in the person they care for and therefore reduce the burden of care.

Fall concern about older persons shifts to carers as changing health policy focuses on family, home-based care

“…A prospective study of 96 pairs of carers and care recipients in Melbourne, Australia, found that carers reported a significant increase in caregiver burden after the older person had had their first fall. (8) Similar results were also found in a large crosssectional study of 1,874 community-dwelling older persons in Japan. (9) In this study, a history of falls in the person being cared for was associated with increased caregiver burden, even after controlling for functional status and comorbidities.…”

“…(8) Older people can require higher levels of care following falls or progression of illness that causes falls. (8) Among Asian carers in general, societal expectations of filial piety can serve as both a motivator for caregiving and a cause of stress among those who feel that they are unable to fulfil this role.…”

“…(8) Older people can require higher levels of care following falls or progression of illness that causes falls. (8) Among Asian carers in general, societal expectations of filial piety can serve as both a motivator for caregiving and a cause of stress among those who feel that they are unable to fulfil this role. (10) In 2011, there were approximately 198,000 FDWs, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia, working in Singapore, and this number is projected to increase to 300,000 in 2030.…”

“…(8) Due to the lack of local research on carers' fall-related concerns, inferences were made from overseas studies conducted in cities that are similar to Singapore. A prospective study of 96 pairs of carers and care recipients in Melbourne, Australia, found that carers reported a significant increase in caregiver burden after the older person had had their first fall.…”

To manage a complex dependency: The experience of caregiving after a fall

“…Falls are a risk factor themselves, as the person who has fallen is prone to fall again within a year (Todd & Skelton, 2004), and falls put a strain on the family. It has been found that the burden of care is greater for family caregivers (Maggio et al, 2010), caregiving alters their lives (Dow, Meyer, Moore, & Hill, 2013) and affects their quality of life (Roth, Perkins, Wadley, Temple, & Haley, 2009).…”