Effect of COVID-19 on Falls in a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly: Longitudinal Observational Study

Background/Objectives: During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, various safety measures were implemented in elderly care facilities in Spain. These measures led to a reduction in physical activity and increased supervision of residents, often resulting in the suspension of outings from the facility. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of COVID-19 preventive measures on the number and characteristics of falls among elderly individuals living in a residential care facility in Spain. Methods: A retrospective longitudinal observational study was conducted from 2018 to 2021. Over these four years, data related to falls were collected from a residential care facility for the elderly. Both patient characteristics and fall characteristics were recorded. Results: The average age of the 48 residents continuously institutionalized between 2018 and 2021 was 85.8 ± 5.1 years. A total of 364 falls occurred during the study period, with 68% of them taking place in 2019 and 2020. Although the number of falls increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, the characteristics of the falls did not change. However, residents who experienced falls were increasingly accompanied at the time of the event. Conclusions: Based on the data collected from the elderly care facility analyzed in this study, falls increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the measures implemented in residential care facilities do not appear to have altered the characteristics of the falls, except for the greater presence of companionship.