Fall injuries among elderly persons living at home.

Falls and their consequences are a major health problem for elderly people. The aim of this study is to describe and analyse registered fall injuries in people 65 years and older, living in their own homes, during one year. In a local health care district, injuries of such severity as to require the attention of a doctor were registered. A form designed according to the National Swedish Board of Health and Welfare classification for registration of accident injuries was used. The computer program Epiinfo was used for processing and analysis. One thousand six hundred and thirty-nine fall injuries among elderly people living at home were registered. The women accounted for 70%. The injuries occurred mostly at home or in the home area during daytime and in connection with daily routines. Fractures accounted for 46.4% of the injuries. Of the victims, 44.4% needed to make only one visit to a doctor. Additional visits and admission to hospital were more common among the women. The study reveals that most of those injured were women, and that the falls occurred during their daily routines. Registration of this kind tells nothing about the persons and the circumstances behind the accidents. In order to gain deeper knowledge, complementary investigations are necessary.