The impact of falls in an inner-city elderly African-American population

To describe the impact of falls in an elderly African-American urban community and to identify predictors of poor recovery from falls.

Prospective cohort study.

Emergency departments of 11 hospitals in western Philadelphia.

Interviews were conducted with 197 African-American persons 65 years and older residing in West Philadelphia who were treated at an emergency department because of a fall. Second interviews were conducted a median of 7 months after the fall with a sample of 70 patients who had not recovered at the time of the first interview.

Information abstracted from emergency department medical records and information on recovery obtained from two subsequent interviews.

A median of 8 weeks after the fall occurred, 43% of persons reported continued pain or restriction in their usual activities as a result of the fall. Predictors of poor recovery included the presence of grandchildren in the household, hearing impairment, severity of the injury, and injury to the lower extremities. Having someone present at the time of the fall was associated with a lower risk of poor recovery. Forty-one percent of the 70 persons interviewed a second time reported continued pain or restriction in usual activities a median of 7 months after the fall occurred. However, only 7% and 39% had received the services of a home health aide or physical therapist, respectively, and only 14% reported that a physician or other health professional had been particularly helpful since the fall had occurred.

A large proportion of elderly African-American persons treated at emergency departments for falls experience continued pain and restriction of activities after the fall. Many individuals have not recovered 7 months or longer after the fall and few persons report that a physician or other health professional has been particularly helpful since the fall occurred. We suggest that follow-up programs be developed for elderly persons in minority communities who come to emergency departments after a fall.