Characteristics of outdoor falls among older people: a qualitative study

نویسندگان

  • Samuel R Nyman
  • Claire Ballinger
  • Judith E Phillips
  • Rita Newton
چکیده

BACKGROUND Falls are a major threat to older people's health and wellbeing. Approximately half of falls occur in outdoor environments but little is known about the circumstances in which they occur. We conducted a qualitative study to explore older people's experiences of outdoor falls to develop understanding of how they may be prevented. METHODS We conducted nine focus groups across the UK (England, Wales, and Scotland). Our sample was from urban and rural settings and different environmental landscapes. Participants were aged 65+ and had at least one outdoor fall in the past year. We analysed the data using framework and content analyses. RESULTS Forty-four adults aged 65 - 92 took part and reported their experience of 88 outdoor falls. Outdoor falls occurred in a variety of contexts, though reports suggested the following scenarios may have been more frequent: when crossing a road, in a familiar area, when bystanders were around, and with an unreported or unknown attribution. Most frequently, falls resulted in either minor or moderate injury, feeling embarrassed at the time of the fall, and anxiety about falling again. Ten falls resulted in fracture, but no strong pattern emerged in regard to the contexts of these falls. Anxiety about falling again appeared more prevalent among those that fell in urban settings and who made more visits into their neighbourhood in a typical week. CONCLUSIONS This exploratory study has highlighted several aspects of the outdoor environment that may represent risk factors for outdoor falls and associated fear of falling. Health professionals are recommended to consider outdoor environments as well as the home setting when working to prevent falls and increase mobility among older people.

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

منابع مشابه

Heterogeneity of falls among older adults: implications for public health prevention.

OBJECTIVES We examined risk factors for falls among older people according to indoor and outdoor activity at the time of the fall and explored risk factors for seriously injurious falls. METHODS Data came from MOBILIZE Boston, a prospective cohort study of 765 community-dwelling women and men, mainly aged 70 years or older. Over 4.3 years, 1737 falls were recorded, along with indoor or outdoo...

متن کامل

Outdoor falls among middle-aged and older adults: a neglected public health problem.

OBJECTIVES Although risk factors for indoor falls among older individuals have been well studied, little is known about the etiology of outdoor falls. We examined risk factors for outdoor falls among middle-aged and older adults. METHODS We analyzed data on the most recent fall during the past year among participants aged 45 years and older in the control group (N=2193) of a case-control stud...

متن کامل

Characteristics of Falls Among Institutionalized Elderly People

Objectives: Falls by elderly people area frequent cause of morbidity and mortality, especially in institutionalized elders. to describe the features of falls among institutionalized elderly people. Methods & Materials: characteristics of falls in the preceding six months (March 2006 - September 2006) that occurred among elder lies (aged over 60years) with normal physical function and cogniti...

متن کامل

Prevalence and External Factors of Home Falls among the Elderly in Qazvin

Background Falling is the most common home accidents in elderly people. The fall-related accidents can reduce the quality of life and increase the disability and mortality rates among elderly people. Objective The present study aimed to determine the role of home safety in home fall rate among community-dwelling older people. Methods A total of 300 older people aged ≥60 years from Qazvin, Ira...

متن کامل

Risk Factors for Falls among Older People: a Population-based Case-Control Study

Introduction: Falling is one of the most common problems of the elderly people with a multi factorial nature and frequent cases. This study aimed to determine the risk factors of falls in old people covered by Mashhad University of Medical Sciences.   Methods: This retrospective case-control study was conducted on 15,600 elderly participants. Data were extracted from Sina Electronic Health Re...

متن کامل

ذخیره در منابع من


  با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید

برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید

ثبت نام

اگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید

عنوان ژورنال:

دوره 13  شماره 

صفحات  -

تاریخ انتشار 2013