Beating Gravity

Fall Prevention in the Elderly for HealthCare Professionals

February, 2005

Current Abstracts
Clippings
Questions & Answers

Current Abstracts

Gagnon N, et al. Affective correlates of fear of falling in elderly persons.
Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2005 Jan; 13(1):7-14.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether clinically significant
depression and anxiety were independently associated with fear of falling…
to read more, click here
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve
&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15653935

Honkanen LA, et al. A cost-benefit analysis of external hip protectors
in the nursing home setting. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005 Feb; 53(2):190-7.

The purpose of this study was to estimate potential cost savings generated
by a program of hip protectors in the nursing home from a Medicare perspective…
to read more, click here
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve
&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15673340

Hill-Westmoreland EE, Gruber-Baldini AL. Falls documentation in nursing
homes: agreement between the minimum data set and chart abstractions
of medical and nursing documentation. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2005 Feb; 53(2):268-73.

The purpose of this study was to assess the agreement between falls
as recorded in the Minimum Data Set (MDS) and fall events abstracted
from chart documentation of elderly nursing home (NH) residents…
to read more, click here
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve
&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15673351

Luukinen H, et al. Fall-related brain injuries and the risk of dementia in elderly people:
a population-based study. Eur J Neurol. 2005 Feb; 12(2):86-92.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether head injury in later life
increases the risk of dementia…to read more, click here
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve
&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15679695

Desmet C, et al. Falls in hemodialysis patients: prospective study of incidence,
risk factors, and complications. Am J Kidney Dis. 2005 Jan; 45(1):148-53.

The purpose of this study was to determine the incidence, risk factors, and
complications of falls in elderly hemodialysis (HD) patients…
to read more, click here

van Bemmel T, et al. In an observational study elderly patients had
an increased risk of falling due to home hazards. J Clin Epidemiol.
2005 Jan; 58(1):63-7.

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between
home hazards and the incidence of falls in the oldest old population…
to read more, click here
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve
&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15649672

Marshall SW, et al. Prevalence of selected risk and protective factors
for falls in the home. Am J Prev Med. 2005 Jan; 28(1):95-101.

This research describes the prevalence of fall-related risk and protective
factors in U.S. homes…to read more, click here
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve
&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15626563

Clippings

Increased Risk of Falls: A Consequence of Vision Impairment
(lighthouse.org)

http://www.lighthouse.org/aging_vision/spring2003/risk_of_falls.htm

Questions & Answers

A: Up to 40% of elders experience pain or restriction in activity 2 months
after an injurious fall. The process and speed of recovery following an injurious
fall is dependent upon several factors: severity of injury, associated fear
of falling/depression, availability of social or caregiver supports,
self-efficacy or perceived control, and pre-injury functional status.
Without obvious fall injury, it's estimated that about 30%-50% of falls
result in various aches/pains or soft-tissue bruises that don't receive
medical attention. Either the elder does not see a doctor for the problem;
or else the elder's complaints are simply ascribed to "old age" and are not given
serious thought. Elders who complain of "nonspecific pain" following a fall
need to be evaluated and treated appropriately. Their pain may be due to occult
bone fractures or a serious underlying psychological problem, such as depression
and/or fear of further falls.