[Circumstances and factors related to falls in the institutionalized elderly]

The circumstances and factors related to falls among the elderly living in a nursing home were investigated. Information on falls was obtained from the fall assessment form recorded by the staff of the institution. During the 1-year study period, 65 (37%) of 174 subjects experienced at least one fall. Most falls occured in the subjects' own rooms and during the daytime. In the subsample of 52 elderly whose data on age, sex, gait, grip strength and standing on one leg at tha beginning of this study were available, week grip strength was significantly associated with increasing risk of falling by chi-square test. After adjusting for other factors, weak grip strength remained a significant and independent predictor of falls. Measuring of grip strength may be useful for screening elderly who are at a high risk of falling.