Behavioral and psychological assessment of recurrent fall risk and the correlates to perceived ability of fall management among Community-dwelling older adults
Journal Title: IOSR Journal of Nursing and health Science - Year 2018, Vol 7, Issue 4
Abstract
The major health concern for community dwellers’ aged group recently represented by recurrent fall events. Normal aging process inevitably included sensory, musculoskeletal, neurological, and metabolic changes; that sufficient to bring physical, cognitive and affective consequences sustain to the risk of falls. Longterm effects of falls-related factors predisposed to economic burden, complex injuries, lengthy hospitalization and rehabilitation, immobility complications, psychological effects as fear of falling experience, and lacked support and social contacts which significantly impacted negatively on elders’ functioning and wellbeing. Although the medical and biological risk factors are important, less searched behavioral and psychological factors mustn’t be ignored due to the dual relation they played with other risk factors. In addition, the perceived ability to manage and control over falling in highly risk elderly and its relation to other factors remains unclear. It worth mentioned that previous researches confirmed that falls self-reported can be decreased by between 30% to 40% by performing a multi-factorial fall risk screening especially those behavioral and psychological contributing factors, which stimulate elders’ ability to prevent fall-moderating situations and master controlling over unexpected fall-leading events. So, this study conducted to describe behavioral and psychological factors concerning the risk of recurrent falls among community dwelling older adults and the correlates to elders’ perception of their ability to control and manage falls. The study followed a descriptive correlational research design and proceeded in the outpatient clinics followed three main districts of medical health for older adults in Alexandria, Egypt selected generally using multistage sampling. 235 male and female elderly community residents aged 60 years and older, at a medium- to high-risk of falling on the elderly falls screening test were enrolled in the study. Nine tools used to collect data namely: (I) Mini- Mental State Examination Scale, (II) Elderly Falls Screening Test, (III) General Characteristics and Clinical Data Structured Interview Schedule, (IV) The Falls Behavioral Scale, (V) Modified Version of the Survey of Activities and Fear of Falling in the Elderly, (VI) Consequences of Falling Scale, (VII) Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, (VIII) Perceived Control Over Falling Scale, and (IX) Perceived Ability to Manage Falls Scale. The main findings of the study implied that the most contributing fall- protected behavioral and habitual patterns score was observed among those behaviors concerning displacing activities (80.71±24.20). While, being observant for particular hazards (39.36±19.50) was the most risk-related behavioral factors. Depressive symptomatology (mean % score= 62.43%) stated as the most influence psychological risk factors of recurrent falls. Unfortunately, perceived lacking ability to either manage or control fall-leading situations was the configuring picture among a significant percent. The research provided a valuable conclusion through the proved inverse relationship found between behavioral protecting and psychological predisposing factors of recurrent falls among the elderly dwelled in community and their perceived ability to both control and manage falls incidents. So, we recommended that behavioural and psychological fall-related factors should be an integral part in the comprehensive assessment of all elderly community dwellers in general and those with advanced age, frail, chronic comorbidities, illiterate, mobility problems, sensory deprived, on polypharmacy, and recurrent fall sufferers. Great attention should be paid to the increased incidence of depression among elders with a history of falls, and their behavioral and environmental modifications to essentially provided adequate interventions and implement educational programs for the purpose of elevated their level of perception regarding fall management.
Authors and Affiliations
Marwa Ibrahim Mahfouz Khalil
Keywords
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- EP ID EP436410
- DOI 10.9790/1959-0704043349.
- Views 127
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