Abstract
Objective: to determine connections between competence, usability, environment and risk of falls in elderly adults. Method: correlational descriptive study, 123 elderly adults, both male and female, aged 70 years and older were included. Data was collected via the Tinetti Scale, CESD-7 Scale, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Usability Questionnaire on Housing and Housing Enabler; and sociodemographic and health background certificate data. For data analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics were used, multivariate linear and logistic regression models were adjusted.Results: 42.0% of the elderly adults had presented with falls, with a higher prevalence in women, and in the group of 70-75 years. The physical environment of the house, gait, and usability were set as risk factors for falls. A negative relationship between usability and depressive symptoms, cognitive health, balance, gait, the social and physical environment was found, p <0.05; and a strong positive correlation between walking and balance, p <0.05. Conclusion: this study helps to better understand the phenomenon of falling, to find a connection between usability with the risk of falls, and other variables.
Highlights
Increased life expectancy and declining fertility have caused a demographic shift in Mexico and in the world, there has been an increase in the elderly adult population (EA)
According to the Ecological Model of Competence, (14) the following variables and measuring instruments were considered competences: functional capacity in terms of gait and balance (modified Tinetti Scale(15)), depressive symptoms (CESD -7 Scale(16)), and cognitive health (Montreal Cognitive Assessment(17)); elderly adult interaction with the environment was represented with usability (Housing Usability Questionnaire(18),regarding the environment, the physical environment was considered, based on environmental barriers (Housing Enabler instrument(19) ), and social environment, corresponding to the number of people living with the elderly adult
We proposed to determine the risk of falls according to the competence and the physical environment of the house of the EA; gait was determined to be a significant risk factor for falls, which is well documented at an international level(1,6,24)
Summary
Increased life expectancy and declining fertility have caused a demographic shift in Mexico and in the world, there has been an increase in the elderly adult population (EA). Falls can cause different effects, ranging from minor injuries to fractures(1) and death(4) These consequences impact health agencies by increasing the use of personal and material benefits derived from medical care and nursing resources; falls are considered the highest injury cost among the EA(5). Other authors support the assessment of the interaction between the physical abilities of a person and their exposure to environmental stress factors(10). For such reasons, it is necessary to consider the characteristics of the individual, his immediate environment, and the interaction between them to determine the risks of falling, and propose measures to prevent further falls due to the same factor
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