PREDICTORS OF FALLS IN OLDER ADULTS ACROSS PARTNER SETTINGS

Abstract

Falls cause significant morbidity and mortality in older adults. We explored predictors of falls in older adults completing Rapid Geriatric Assessments in Missouri (N=7796). Assessments were completed by health professionals and students at community sites (n= 1817), physician practices/clinics (n= 4441), nursing homes (n=525), and hospitals (n=1013). Multinomial regression analyses were used to identify predictors of falls from: age, gender, frailty score, self-reported walking ability, and cognition. Participants had a mean age of 78.4±8.4, were 65.2% female, 41.7% fallers, 28.1% frail, and 40.5% pre-frail. All variables except gender were associated with falls. For the total sample, frailty (OR 2.11 for 1-3 falls, OR 3.74 for 4+ falls; p<.001) and self-reported walking difficulty (OR 1.85 for 1-3 falls, OR 2.36 for 4+ falls; p<.001) had the highest odds ratios and were consistent predictors of falls in site-specific analyses. Self-rated walking, age, and cognition were risk factors in some settings.