Introduction:

Falls at home in the elderly represent a serious public health problem, causing significant morbidity and mortality. Objectives: To assess the risk of falls at home among elderly people enrolled in Day Centers; identify sociodemographic, clinical and housing variables related to the risk of falling at home.

Methods:

Cross-sectional analytical study. Data collection was carried out using an anonymous form, consisting of sociodemographic, clinical and fall-related variables and the Home Fall Risk Assessment Scale.

Results:

The sample consisted of 54 elderly people, mostly female (n=28; 51.9%), with a mean age of 80.81±7.9 years. About a fifth of the sample (n=12; 22.2%) reported that they had already had a fall, 83.3% (n=10) mentioned that it had occurred in the last 12 months. The greatest number of falls occurred in the bedroom and on the street. The main reasons for falls were dizziness/imbalance/stroke (n=6; 50.0%) and tripping (n=4; 33.3%). Only hearing alterations and age >80 years were associated with the risk of falling in the backyard (OR=2.86; 95%CI 1.08-7.57; OR=1.84; 95%CI 1.02-3.31, respectively). Age was also associated with the risk of falling into restrooms. The bedroom (n=24; 44.4%) and the backyard (n=11; 37.9%) are the areas of the house with the highest risk of falling.

Conclusion:

The results showed that about a fifth of the population had already had a fall episode. Hearing changes and age >80 years are associated with the risk of falling in the backyard. It was concluded that the prevention of falls in the elderly should be a priority for health planning, aiming at empowering the elderly and caregivers for the harmful consequences that a fall can cause.

        · abstract in Portuguese | Spanish     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )