Predictors for occasional and recurrent falls in community-dwelling older people

Falls may cause devastating consequences in older people. Conducting surveys on falls and factors associated with falls will inform better preventive health practices among older people to improve their quality of life. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and associated risk factors of falls and recurrent falls among rural community-dwelling older people in Southern Sri Lanka. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Nagoda Divisional Secretariat area, Galle, with 300 participants (females=175) aged 65 years and above. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect the data. To assess the prevalence of falls, participants were asked if they had fallen in the past year, and if so how many times. If any individual reported two or more falls, it was considered a recurrent fall. Biological, behavioral, environmental, and socioeconomic factors were documented as potential risk factors for falls. Multivariate logistic regression was performed with adjusted Odds Ratio (OR). Mean (SD) age was 73 (6.7) years. The prevalence of falls and recurrent falls were reported as 34.3% (95%CI; 29.03-40.04) (n=103) and 9.6% (95%CI; 6.68-13.73) (n=29), respectively. Out of 103 fallers, 37 (35.9%) had sustained injuries, with 40.5% affecting the wrist and 24.3% the hip. The associated factors for falls were age (OR=0.1), gender (OR=3.0), diabetes mellitus (OR=2.7), balance or gait problems (OR=4.2), use of antihypertensive medication (OR=0.2), and use of at least one long-term medication (OR=3.5). Associated factors for recurrent falls were age (OR=0.3), hypertension (OR=3.7), balance or gait problems (OR=3.8), sleep disturbances (OR=2.0), use of antihypertensive medication (OR=0.1), and use of at least one long-term medication (OR=3.4). A high prevalence of falls and low prevalence of recurrent falls among older people were observed. Biological and behavioral factors were reported as associated risk factors. This information is important to inform strategies to prevent falls in older people in Sri Lanka.

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Factors associated with occasional and recurrent falls in Mexican community-dwelling older people

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0192926 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. e0192926 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Marcela Agudelo-Botero ◽

Liliana Giraldo-Rodríguez ◽

Juana Catalina Murillo-González ◽

Dolores Mino-León ◽

Esteban Cruz-Arenas

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Recurrent Falls ◽

Mexican Community ◽

Community Dwelling Older People

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Supplemental Material for Brain White Matter Tract Integrity and Cognitive Abilities in Community-Dwelling Older People: The Lothian Birth Cohort, 1936

Neuropsychology ◽

10.1037/a0033354.supp ◽

2013 ◽

Keyword(s):

White Matter ◽

Older People ◽

Birth Cohort ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

White Matter Tract ◽

Brain White Matter ◽

Lothian Birth Cohort ◽

Community Dwelling Older People

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Health promotion interventions for community-dwelling older people with mild or pre-frailty: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-017-0547-8 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 37

Author(s):

Rachael Frost ◽

Celia Belk ◽

Ana Jovicic ◽

Federico Ricciardi ◽

Kalpa Kharicha ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Health Promotion ◽

Older People ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Community Dwelling Older People ◽

Health Promotion Interventions

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Prioritization and management of calls from older people to GP out-of-hours services

International Journal for Quality in Health Care ◽

10.1093/intqhc/mzab021 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 33 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Suzanne Smith ◽

Lucia Carragher

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Service Provision ◽

Emergency Services ◽

Oldest Old ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Third Party ◽

Older Person ◽

Out Of Hours ◽

Accident And Emergency ◽

Community Dwelling Older People

Abstract Background Urgent out-of-hours medical care is necessary to ensure people can remain living at home into older age. However, older people experience multiple barriers to using out-of-hours services including poor awareness about the general practitioner (GP) out-of-hours (GPOOH) service and how to access it. In particular, older people are reluctant users of GPOOH services because they expect either their symptoms will not be taken seriously or they will simply be referred to hospital accident and emergency services. The aim of this study was to examine if this expectation was borne out in the manner of GPOOH service provision. Objective The objective was to establish the urgency categorization and management of calls to GPOOH , for community dwelling older people in Ireland. Methods An 8-week sample of 770 calls, for people over 65 years, to a GPOOH service in Ireland, was analysed using Excel and Nvivo software. Results Urgency categorization of older people shows 40% of calls categorized as urgent. Recognition of the severity of symptoms, prompting calls to the GPOOH service, is also reflected in a quarter of callers receiving a home visit by the GP and referral of a third of calls to emergency services. The findings also show widespread reliance on another person to negotiate the GPOOH system, with a third party making 70% of calls on behalf of the older person seeking care. Conclusion Older people are in urgent need of medical services when they contact GPOOH service, which plays an effective and patient-centred gatekeeping role, particularly directing the oldest old to the appropriate level of care outside GP office hours. The promotion of GPOOH services should be enhanced to ensure older people understand their role in supporting community living.

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Ten‐year trends in lifestyle habits among community‐dwelling older people in Taiwan

Australasian Journal on Ageing ◽

10.1111/ajag.12969 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hsiao‐Ting Tsou ◽

Tai‐Yin Wu ◽

Kuan‐Liang Kuo ◽

Sheng‐Huang Hsiao ◽

Sheng‐Jean Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Lifestyle Habits ◽

Community Dwelling Older People

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Frailty Status and All-Cause Mortality in the Community-Dwelling Older People: An Umbrella Review

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.1580 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 488-489

Author(s):

A R M Saifuddin Ekram ◽

Joanne Ryan ◽

Carlene Britt ◽

Sara Espinoza ◽

Robyn Woods

Keyword(s):

Older People ◽

Systematic Reviews ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Umbrella Review ◽

Frailty Phenotype ◽

Frailty Status ◽

Increased Risk ◽

All Cause Mortality ◽

Community Dwelling Older People ◽

Meta Analyses

Abstract Frailty is increasingly recognised for its association with adverse health outcomes including mortality. However, various measures are used to assess frailty, and the strength of association could vary depending on the specific definition used. This umbrella review aimed to map which frailty scale could best predict the relationship between frailty and all-cause mortality among community-dwelling older people. According to the PRISMA guidelines, Medline, Embase, EBSCOhost and Web of Science databases were searched to identify eligible systematic reviews and meta-analyses which examined the association between frailty and all-cause mortality in the community-dwelling older people. Relevant data were extracted and summarised qualitatively. Methodological quality was assessed by AMSTAR-2 checklist. Five moderate-quality systematic reviews with a total of 374,529 participants were identified. Of these, two examined the frailty phenotype and its derivatives, two examined the cumulative deficit models and the other predominantly included studies assessing frailty with the FRAIL scale. All of the reviews found a significant association between frailty status and all-cause mortality. The magnitude of association varied between individual studies, with no consistent pattern related to the frailty measures that were used. In conclusion, regardless of the measure used to assess frailty status, it is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality.

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