Falling (accident)

Abstract: Fear of falling is considered a common and potentially serious problem in older persons Approximately 25% to 55% of community-living older persons acknowledge being afraid of falling;1–5 the prevalence is even higher among women and persons with a previous fall history3,6 Fear of falling is thought to contribute to a loss of independence through the restriction of activities,7–9 but fear of falling may not invariably cause older persons to restrict their activities In fact, fear of falling likely has a range of consequences, from increased caution during performance of daily activities, which may be protective against falls, to an excessive restriction of activities, which may be debilitating4,10 In this broadened view, fear of falling may not be damaging unless it interferes with activity performance10 Because it may reduce social interaction2,4 and lead to inactivity and subsequent decline in physical capabilities,4,11,12 activity restriction due to fear of falling (hereafter referred to simply as activity restriction) is a potential threat to the physical and mental well-being of older persons Relatively little is known about older persons who restrict activity because of fear of falling or how they differ from those with fear of falling alone or those with no fear of falling Activity restriction has been examined in only a few previous studies that included nonrepresentative populations and relied exclusively on self-reported measures as candidate predictors4,13 In these studies, older persons who restricted their activities reported poorer physical functioning than those with no fear of falling13 and had less social support than those with fear of falling alone4 The goals of the current population-based study, which included both self-report and performance-based measures, were to identify the characteristics associated with activity restriction in community-living older persons and to determine how older persons with activity restriction differ from those with fear of falling alone We hypothesized that participants with activity restriction would have poorer health status and worse physical and psychosocial function than participants with fear of falling alone or those with no fear of falling

Abstract: Each year, about one third of the population over 65 years of age experiences at least one fall (Perry, 1982). Assessment of the incidence of falls and the prevalence, intensity, and covariates of fear of falling among community-based elderly persons was conducted through interviews of 115 residents in a housing development (mean age = 78 years). Fifty-three percent reported having fallen in recent years, 32% in the last year. Fear of falling ranked first when compared with other common fears. In a logistic regression model predicting limitation of activity independent of risk factors for falling, fear of falling was marginally significant (p = .06). The results of the study show that falls are frequent and fear of falling prevalent among the community-based elderly. A comprehensive program designed to reduce the risk of falls is presented.