A study of falls among elderly living in the community

Abstract

This study was conducted to mainly investigate the causes of falls among elderly living in the community and also to clarify the status of the elderly one year after they experienced falls. Subjects who had lived in Koga city, Ibaraki prefecture were chosen. An average age of the subjects (n = 132) was 73.7 +/- 6.4 years. Self administrated questionnaire was employed. The main results were obtained as follows. 1) The average of the falls of a subject for the past one year was 1.75 +/- 2.40 times. About 70 percent of the falls occured outdoor. About 70 percent of the causes of the falls were extrinsic. 2) The higher injuries frequency occured among those who got medical treatment. Diuretic and hypotensive drugs occupide the major two kinds of all. 3) The physical symptoms such as pains, fatigues, walking problems, as well as less active behavior characterized those who experienced the fall-caused external injuries. The falls triggered off deteriorating the elderly's healthy physical status. It was suggested that nursing intervention was very important to prevent falls among elderly in the community to maintain their quality of life (Q.O.L).