Citation

Eriksson S, Gustafson Y, Lundin-Olsson L. Arch. Gerontol. Geriatr. 2007; 46(3): 293-306.

Affiliation

Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Physiotherapy, Umea University, 901 87 Umeå, Sweden; Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Geriatric Medicine, Umea University, 901 87 Umea, Sweden.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.archger.2007.05.002

PMID

17602762

Abstract

People with dementia are at increased risk of falling. The purpose of this study was to identify predisposing risk factors for falls in older people with and without a diagnose of dementia living in residential care facilities, and to compare the results. Eighty-three residents without dementia (mean age+/-S.D.; 83.5+/-7.1 years) and 103 with dementia (83.6+/-6.3 years) in Umea, Sweden, participated. The baseline assessment included probable risk factors like walking ability, diagnoses and treatment with drugs. The follow-up period was 6 months. In people with dementia, the fall rate was higher (crude incidence rate ratio 2.55, 95% CI 1.60-4.08) and a larger proportion experienced falls (62% versus 41%). In the group without dementia 54.8% of the variation in falls was explained by a model including orthostatism, "women walking with aid", and treatment with Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. In the group with dementia 25.5% of the variation in falls was explained by a model including "man walking with aid". Our results show that with the same set of common risk factors for falls a considerably lower proportion of the variation in falls can be explained in the group of people with dementia.

Language: en