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Abstract

To compare rates of falling between nursing home residents with and without dementia and to examine dementia as an independent risk factor for falls and fall injuries. Prospective cohort study with 2 years of follow-up. Fifty-nine randomly selected nursing homes in Maryland, stratified by geographic region and facility size. Two thousand fifteen newly admitted residents aged 65 and older. During 2 years after nursing home admission, fall data were collected from nursing home charts and hospital discharge summaries. The unadjusted fall rate for residents in the nursing home with dementia was 4.05 per year, compared with 2.33 falls per year for residents without dementia (P<.0001). The effect of dementia on the rate of falling persisted when known risk factors were taken into account. Among fall events, those occurring to residents with dementia were no more likely to result in injury than falls of residents without dementia, but, given the markedly higher rates of falling by residents with dementia, their rate of injurious falls was higher than for residents without dementia. Dementia is an independent risk factor for falling. Although most falls do not result in injury, the fact that residents with dementia fall more often than their counterparts without dementia leaves them with a higher overall risk of sustaining injurious falls over time. Nursing home residents with dementia should be considered important candidates for fall-prevention and fall-injury-prevention strategies.

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Most cited references 11

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Designing the national resident assessment instrument for nursing homes.

J N Morris, C. Hawes, B E Fries … (1990)

In response to the Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1987 mandate for the development of a national resident assessment system for nursing facilities, a consortium of professionals developed the first major component of this system, the Minimum Data Set (MDS) for Resident Assessment and Care Screening. A two-state field trial tested the reliability of individual assessment items, the overall performance of the instrument, and the time involved in its application. The trial demonstrated reasonable reliability for 55% of the items and pinpointed redundancy of items and initial design of scales. On the basis of these analyses and clinical input, 40% of the original items were kept, 20% dropped, and 40% altered. The MDS provides a structure and language in which to understand long-term care, design care plans, evaluate quality, and describe the nursing facility population for planning and policy efforts.

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Falls in the nursing home.

Laurence Rubenstein (1994)

To review the epidemiology and causes of falls and fall-related injuries in nursing homes and to provide clinicians with a structured framework to evaluate and treat nursing home residents at risk for falls. All large-scale published studies documenting incidence, causes, risk factors, and preventive strategies for falls in nursing homes were reviewed. The mean incidence of falls in nursing homes is 1.5 falls per bed per year (range, 0.2 to 3.6 falls). The most common precipitating causes include gait and balance disorders, weakness, dizziness, environmental hazards, confusion, visual impairment, and postural hypotension. The most important underlying risk factors for falls and injuries include some of these same items and others, such as lower-extremity weakness, gait and balance instability, poor vision, cognitive and functional impairment, and sedating and psychoactive medications. Many strategies for the prevention of falls have been tried, with mixed success. The most successful consider the multifactorial causes of falls and include interventions to improve strength and functional status, reduce environmental hazards, and allow staff to identify and monitor high-risk residents. Strategies that reduce mobility through use of restraints have been shown to be more harmful than beneficial and should be avoided. A focused history and physical examination after a fall can usually determine both the immediate underlying causes of the fall and contributing risk factors. In addition, regular evaluations in the nursing home can help identify patients at high risk who can then be targeted for specific treatment and prevention strategies.

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Effects of a group exercise program on strength, mobility, and falls among fall-prone elderly men.

P Trueblood, John L. R. Rubenstein, Peter Robbins … (2000)

This randomized controlled trial studied the effects of a low- to moderate-intensity group exercise program on strength, endurance, mobility, and fall rates in fall-prone elderly men with chronic impairments. Fifty-nine community-living men (mean age = 74 years) with specific fall risk factors (i.e., leg weakness, impaired gait or balance, previous falls) were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 28) or to a 12-week group exercise program (n = 31). Exercise sessions (90 minutes, three times per week) focused on increasing strength and endurance and improving mobility and balance. Outcome measures included isokinetic strength and endurance, five physical performance measures, and self-reported physical functioning, health perception, activity level, and falls. Exercisers showed significant improvement in measures of endurance and gait. Isokinetic endurance increased 21% for right knee flexion and 26% for extension. Exercisers had a 10% increase (p < .05) in distance walked in six minutes, and improved (p < .05) scores on an observational gait scale. Isokinetic strength improved only for right knee flexion. Exercise achieved no significant effect on hip or ankle strength, balance, self-reported physical functioning, or number of falls. Activity level increased within the exercise group. When fall rates were adjusted for activity level, the exercisers had a lower 3-month fall rate than controls (6 falls/1000 hours of activity vs 16.2 falls/1000 hours, p < .05). These findings suggest that exercise can improve endurance, strength, gait, and function in chronically impaired, fall-prone elderly persons. In addition, increased physical activity was associated with reduced fall rates when adjusted for level of activity.