Circumstances surrounding falls in patients with dementia in a psychogeriatric ward

Abstract

People with dementia have an increased risk of falling. Predisposing factors explain only a small part of the variation in falls among people with dementia. The purpose of this study was to explore circumstances that are hazardous regarding falls among people with dementia at a psychogeriatric ward. The study comprised 191 participants of whom seventy-five fell a total of 229 times. Prospective data were collected on falls. Hazardous circumstances were calculated in two ways. Firstly possible differences between day/night falls and women/men falls were calculated based on the 229 falls. Secondly time to first fall was used to estimate hazardous circumstances and was based on 75 falls. This study shows a fall rate that was equally high during the night and the day. The proportion of diurnal rhythm disturbances and activity disturbances was higher for falls at night than for falls during the day. Circumstances associated with an increased risk of falls, as shown by a short time to first fall, were anxiety, darkness, not wearing any shoes and, for women, urinary tract infection. All of these are circumstances that should be considered in future fall-related research among people with dementia.