[Frequency and reasons for falling among residents of the geriatric center].

BACKGROUND

One of the serious problems in geriatrics is falling among the elderly population. It is noted that, as age progresses, the frequency of falling increases, reaching 1.4-4.5 falls per person annually among nursing home residents. Furthermore, recurrent falls are one of the main reasons for their residence in the geriatric nursing home.

AIM

The purpose of the study was to determine the frequency and main causes of recurrent falls among mobile nursing home residents, to examine the influence of medications on the frequency of falls and to observe the influence of falls on changes in their health condition and mortality.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

During the past 5 years, researchers tracked falls among 242 mobile residents at the "Gil-Ad" Geriatric Center, (mean age 85.2+/-1.2 years). Among observed patients 170 (70.2%) had fallen 959 times, (1.13 falls per person annually). This created a statistical image of the mobile resident, predisposed to recurrent falls: she is the elderly woman aged 83 years and older, suffering from pain, cardiovascular diseases (55.8%), touch infringements due to decreased visual acuity and hearing (76.4%), atrophic musculoskeletal diseases or after orthopedic operations (68.6%) and acute infections (51.2%). A direct link was found between the frequency of falls and the amount of medications provided to the elderly patients: for residents, predisposed to recurrent falls, treatment by 5 and more kinds of drugs, including diuretics, was characteristic. The study proves a mutual dependency between frequency of falls and the functional status of the elderly residents of the geriatric center.

CONCLUSION

For prevention of falls and bone fractures among elderly nursing home residents, the clinicians should carefully assess their functional status, in view of diseases and drug treatment.