Ozge Dokuzlar1, Saadet Koc Okudur1, Lee Smith2, Pinar Soysal3, Idil Yavuz4, Ali Ekrem Aydin1, Ahmet Turan Isik5. 1. Department of Geriatric Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey. 2. The Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK. 3. Department of Geriatric Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Bezmialem Vakif University, Istanbul, Turkey. 4. Department of Statistics, Faculty of Science, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey. 5. Unit for Aging Brain and Dementia, Department of Geriatric Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Dokuz Eylul University, Izmir, Turkey. atisik@yahoo.com.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Women aged 65 years and over are at increased risk of falling. Falls in this age group increase the risk of morbidity and mortality. AIMS: The aim of the present study was to find the most common factors that increase the risk of falling in older women, by using four different assessment methods. METHODS: 682 women, who attended a geriatric outpatient clinic and underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment, were included in the study. History of falling last year, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA), and 4-m walking speed test were carried out on all patients. RESULTS: The mean age (SD) of patients were 74.4 (8.5) years. 31.5% of women had a history of falling in the last year. 11%, 36.5%, and 33.3% of patients had a falling risk according to POMA, TUG and 4-m walking speed test, respectively. We identified the following risk factors that increase the risk of falling, according to these four methods: urinary incontinence, dizziness and imbalance, using a walking stick, frailty, dynapenia, higher Charlson Comorbidity Index and Geriatric Depression Scale score, and lower basic and instrumental activities of daily living scores (p < 0.05). We found a significant correlation between all the assessment methods (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: There is a strong relationship between fall risk and dizziness, using a walking stick, dynapenia, high number of comorbidities, low functionality, and some geriatric syndromes such as depression, frailty, and urinary incontinence in older women. Therefore, older women should routinely be screened for these risk factors.
BACKGROUND:Women aged 65 years and over are at increased risk of falling. Falls in this age group increase the risk of morbidity and mortality. AIMS: The aim of the present study was to find the most common factors that increase the risk of falling in older women, by using four different assessment methods. METHODS: 682 women, who attended a geriatric outpatient clinic and underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment, were included in the study. History of falling last year, the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA), and 4-m walking speed test were carried out on all patients. RESULTS: The mean age (SD) of patients were 74.4 (8.5) years. 31.5% of women had a history of falling in the last year. 11%, 36.5%, and 33.3% of patients had a falling risk according to POMA, TUG and 4-m walking speed test, respectively. We identified the following risk factors that increase the risk of falling, according to these four methods: urinary incontinence, dizziness and imbalance, using a walking stick, frailty, dynapenia, higher Charlson Comorbidity Index and Geriatric Depression Scale score, and lower basic and instrumental activities of daily living scores (p < 0.05). We found a significant correlation between all the assessment methods (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: There is a strong relationship between fall risk and dizziness, using a walking stick, dynapenia, high number of comorbidities, low functionality, and some geriatric syndromes such as depression, frailty, and urinary incontinence in older women. Therefore, older women should routinely be screened for these risk factors.
Authors: Joan Blanco-Blanco; Laura Albornos-Muñoz; Maria Àngels Costa-Menen; Ester García-Martínez; Esther Rubinat-Arnaldo; Jordi Martínez-Soldevila; María Teresa Moreno-Casbas; Ana Beatriz Bays-Moneo; Montserrat Gea-Sánchez Journal: Res Nurs Health Date: 2022-06-23 Impact factor: 2.238