Citation

Yardimci B, Aran SN, Ozkaya I, Aksoy SM, Demir T, Tezcan G, Kaptanoglu AY. Saudi Med. J. 2016; 37(10): 1101-1108.

Affiliation

Department of Internal Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul Bilim University, Istanbul, Turkey. E-mail. bulentyardimci@yahoo.com.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2016, Riyadh Al-Kharj Hospital Programme)

DOI

10.15537/smj.2016.10.15205

PMID

27652361

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine the relation among the risk of falls, geriatric assessment, and anthropometric measurements, including the mini mental state examination, geriatric depression scale, handgrip test, and key pinch test.

METHODS: This prospective study included 89 residents hospitalized between May 2014 and September 2015 in the geriatric care unit of the Istanbul Balikli Rum Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey. Patients were followed-up for one year, and their falls were recorded. Medical records of the included patients were retrieved and analyzed.

RESULTS: A total of 89 patients, comprising 37 men and 52 women with an average age of 75.8 +/- 8.2 years were included in the study. The residents' annual falling averages were 1.0 +/- 1.5. The most significant factors were identified to be predicted muscle mass, skeletal muscle index, whole body bioimpedance, dominant arm muscle strength, dominant arm bioimpedance, and free fat mass.  CONCLUSIONS: The mini mental test, geriatric depression scale and lawton-brody scale combined with the handgrip, 6-meters walking, and bioimpedance tests are favorable for detecting the risk of falls and recurrent falls in vulnerable elderly nursing home residents.

Language: en