Relationship and Characteristics of Falling at Temples among the Elderly Group in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand.

BACKGROUND

Falls and their consequences are serious health problems among the elderly. In Thailand, temples are where the elderly often visit to pray and socialize with others. However, studies related to characteristics and severity of falls within temples are limited.

OBJECTIVE

To study characteristics of falls (falls, near falls, and fall-related injuries) and severity of falls among the elderly in temples.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

A cross-sectional analytic study. Subject is elderly population group (aged 60 and above) in the province of Nakhon Ratchasima (17 districts) who attend temples at least once a week (22 temples). The survey was conducted by questionnaires that required personal information, medical condition, frequency of fall, fall description, fall location, time of fall, and severity after a fall.

RESULTS

Total 742 subjects aged adult were screened through questionnaires. A number of 451 persons were reported to have fallen in temples, which was 60.8% of the population, whereas 76.1% of the population was said to have fallen or nearly fell. Most of the subjects have fallen only once in the past year by tripping (55%) and slipping (28.7%). Most of the falls occur outdoors (48.0%) rather than indoors (30.4%) and in the bathroom (21.6%). Some adults do not have any fall-related injuries (33.5%), though most of them experience muscle pain (27.3%). The rate of fractures among the elderly was 7.1%. A total of 117 subjects required hospitalization (25.9%). Upon being discharged from the hospital, 24.8% of the subjects were required to continue recovery at home.

CONCLUSION

The number of near falls and falls among Thai older adults in temples are quite high and very concerning. Such numbers are alarming and indicate that the elderly attending services and activities in temples require appropriate facilities and close attention from accompanying and surrounding persons. This study presented fundamental yet beneficial information which is useful for the architectural, engineering, and public health development for the elderly.