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Abstract
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INTRODUCTION: Falls are very common in elderly individuals. Falls are the accounting for morbidity and mortality. Falls are one of the major reasons in the elderly for hospitalization. Falls may lead to disability and sometimes patient may become handicap. Large number of elderly populations in rural as well as urban suffering from this problem. Many studies done on causes of falls. However, very less research is done on the prevalence of modifiable risk factors of falls in post-operative elderly individuals. Hence, there is a need to find out the modifiable risk factors which people can alter to reduce risk of fall.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study aims to study and find out the prevalence of modifiable risk factors of falls in post-operative elderly individuals.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was an observational study with a total of 100 participants. The participants were elderly individuals who had a fall and underwent surgery for fracture correction. Both male and female age groups above 60 years old were selected for the study. Participants were selected from Krishna Hospital, Karad. Outcome measures were included visual examination, balance test, manual muscle testing, goniometry, and neurological examination.
RESULTS: The results have shown that the highest risk factor for falls is due to slippery floor (21%) followed by falls during toilet activities (14%). It can be seen that poor balance (13%), reduced strength of muscles (11%), and reduced range of motion (9%) also play a key role in being a risk factor for falls. The figure depicts other factors such as poor lighting (7%), climbing up and down the stairs (6%), improper foot wear (5%), and obesity (4%) is also responsible for falls in the elderly. Lack of use of assistive devices (4%), gait deficit (3%), wrong exercise habits (2%), and clothing (1%) also are some risk factors for falls to some extent.
CONCLUSION: This study concludes that falls due to slippery floors are one of the most common occurrences followed by falls during toilet activities and due to poor balance. Other modifiable risk factors for falls include reduced strength of muscles, reduced range of motion, improper foot wear, clothing, gait deficit, climbing up or down the stairs, obesity, poor lighting, wrong exercise habits, and lack of use of assistive devices. It is of utmost importance to identify the modifiable risk factors in the elderly to prevent injuries and improve quality of life of the elderly.
Language: en |