Falls amongst older people living in the community

Falls (instability)--as well as immobility, incontinence, intellectual impairment, depression and visual and auditory impairment are considered to be serious problems in the field of geriatrics. They have multiple causes, tend to reoccur, have no simple cure and make the older person dependent on others for care. This paper presents the results of the study on the prevalence of falls and their determinants in communities of older people (aged 75 and over).

The study design: cross-sectional questionnaire study and survey. The studied population lived in two chosen areas (urban and rural). The questionnaire, as well as instruments to verify the respondent's skills and functional ability, were used. Doctors and nurses employed in the studied areas were interviewers.

457 randomly selected older people (228 from the rural area and 229 from the urban one) took part in the study. Falls in the course of the last year were reported by 45.1% of the group; more frequently by people living in the rural area (58.3% versus 31.9% in the urban one), by women (66.7% versus 44.8% in the men's group) and by people with different disabilities (cognitive impairment, locomotive disabilities, ADL-dependence, visual and auditory impairment), with poor self-reported health status and living arrangements. The score according to Tinetti's test--conducted in the rural areadetermined the frequency of the falls reported.

The study has confirmed that falling is an increasing hazard for older people, especially for women, for people living in rural areas and for those with different mental and physical disabilities.