Abstract
AimThe aim of this study was to explore the needs and wishes in everyday life of older persons who have experienced a fall.DesignA hermeneutic‐phenomenological design with semi‐structured interviews.MethodInterviews were analysed using systematic text condensation.ResultsNine patients (5 women, 4 men) were included. The participants were between 67–95 years old. Seven of the nine participants had suffered from recurrent falls. The analysis revealed four themes: “To maintain meaningfulness in everyday life after experiencing a fall”, “Contact with professionals can be a prerequisite for feeling well and motivated after a fall”, “A need for assistive technology and aids in everyday life” and “Asking for help can be a challenge”. Our findings highlight that older‐person‐centred care and treatment are essential to address the complex variations in needs and wishes of older persons who have experienced a fall.
Highlights
Older persons experiencing a fall in their everyday life institute a common problem and a serious challenge for healthcare systems
Several participants expressed wishes for several technologies and help supplies that could help them in their everyday life to reduce the risk of falling again, being able to manage daily activities by themselves, like taking a shower and to do everyday activities without being depending on help from others: The analysis showed that the request for assistive technology and aids was only expressed by female participants
The analysis identified a group of participants who had difficulties expressing their wishes and needs in their everyday life after they had experienced a fall and some of these participants directly rejected any need for help in their daily living
Summary
One‐third of the population over 65 years of age fall at least once a year, and the proportion rises to 50% in older people above 80 years of age (Blake et al, 1988; O'Loughlin, Robitaille, Boivin, & Suissa, 1993). The World Health Organization reports that the number of persons over 60 years is growing faster than any other age group (WHO, 2007). This increase in the proportion of older people at risk is expected to lead to an in‐ crease in the number of falls, which makes falling and the associated consequences increasingly problematic worldwide in terms of mor‐ bidity and significant health and social care costs for all European Countries in the future (Todd, 2004).
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