Introduction
As they are a primary cause of injury, illness, and mortality, falls are a major issue for elderly adults. As a result, research on fall prevention is crucial. Several recent research publications on the prevention of falls in older individuals will be examined in this review. In order to better understand the current state of the field, research questions, sample populations, and constraints of the articles will be compared. This literature review’s primary goal is to provide suggestions for further studies.
Research Questions Comparison
A few insights can be drawn when comparing the research questions across the articles. Many of the questions focus on the effectiveness of different interventions to prevent falls, such as exercise programs, telerehabilitation, and multifactorial interventions. For instance, Lee & Yu (2020) have conducted a thorough meta-review of the literature on this subject. As for studies on the intervention effectiveness, Barker et al. (2019) examined how a telephone-based program affects the older population’s falls and injuries following an ER visit. On the same topic, de Castro Cezar et al. (2021) evaluated the effects of an AD-HOMEX exercise program on muscle strength in Alzheimer’s disease patients. It can be seen that the effectiveness of interventions is a well-studied topic that is often discussed by researchers.
On the other hand, some articles examine the feasibility of these interventions and the perspectives of older adults and healthcare professionals on fall prevention. The clinical effectiveness and viability of a telerehabilitation program for preventing falls in older individuals are investigated by Bernocchi et al. (2019). Similarly, Miikkola et al. (2019) explored the experiences of foot self-care from the standpoint of healthy older individuals, while Yoshimatsu & Nakatani’s (2022) article discussed the perspectives of nurses regarding fall incidents. This outlines another notable research direction.
Finally, there is a marked interest in exploring the correlation between falls and other factors such as hearing loss, depression, anxiety, or dementia. Specifically, Mahmoudi et al. (2019) analyzed the possibility that hearing loss diagnosis may be a predictor of AD, dementia, anxiety, or depression in those aged 66 and older. Ang et al. (2020) researched the idea that falls can be decreased when medical professionals and other professionals alter elderly-related factors. It is evident that the research on fall prevention is varied, with visible topic distinctions while comparing the existing body of literature.
Sample Populations Comparison
Although the sample populations in these articles vary in terms of location, age, and specific health concerns, there are some similarities and tendencies. Firstly, the majority of the articles discuss how to prevent falls among older persons in specific locations. For instance, the article by Barker et al. (2019) centers Australia and New Zealand, while the focus of the study by Ang et al. is Singapore, and Yoshimatsu & Nakatani (2022) have explored Japanese population. Secondly, all articles target older adults, with most choosing populations over 65. Thirdly, the focus is concentrated on elderly people who live independently in the community as opposed to institutional settings like nursing homes. This can be seen in the works of de Castro Cezar et al. (2021) and Bernocchi et al. (2019). Fourthly, the bulk of the articles is aimed at senior citizens who have certain risk factors for falling, like Alzheimer’s, dementia, or issues with balance, eyesight, or mobility. This highlights the relative consistency of samples across the selected articles and the field in general.
Limitations Comparison
The articles presented are not without limitations. In particular, it can be said that they frequently have limitations in generalizability because of the particular samples and conditions used. Another common issue is long-term applicability, which affects most, if not all, selected articles. Cesar et al. (2021), whose work is a longitudinal study, is a standout, while other publications lack long-term follow-up to determine the sustained effectiveness of the interventions. Some of the articles, like the one by Yoshimatsu & Nakatani (2022), also rely on self-reported data, which could be biased. These limitations imply that longer-term follow-up should be the focus of future research to guarantee the continuous effectiveness of interventions while incorporating objective metrics, such as physical evaluations, which may help to lessen possible bias.
Conclusion and Recommendations
In conclusion, the research articles under review center on the efficacy of various interventions to avoid falls in elderly adults, such as exercise regimens, telerehabilitation, and multifactorial therapies. Numerous studies explored the viability of these interventions as well as the views of senior citizens and medical experts on fall prevention. The relationship between falls and other conditions, including hearing loss, depression, anxiety, or dementia, is also of interest to researchers. The sample groups range in terms of location, age, and particular health issues, with the majority of them concentrating on fall prevention in senior citizens in certain areas or nations. The majority of the articles target those who are 65 years of age or older, with many of them concentrating on older people who have particular risk factors for falling. The articles’ shortcomings include a lack of generalizability and a lack of long-term follow-up.
Based on these observations, future research studies and works should concentrate on longitudinal study designs with objective measuring methods. A variety of older populations appears to be under-discussed, including those with different living situations. For this reason, future studies could focus on the living situations of the samples, as studying these demographics could yield useful insights into how to most effectively avoid falls in these groups.
References
Ang, G. C., Low, S. L., & How, C. H. (2020). Approach to falls among the elderly in the community. Singapore Medical Journal, 61(3), 116. Web.
Barker, A., Cameron, P., Flicker, L., Arendts, G., Brand, C., Etherton-Beer, C.,… & Hill, K. (2019). Evaluation of RESPOND, a patient-centred program to prevent falls in older people presenting to the emergency department with a fall: A randomised controlled trial. PLoS Medicine, 16(5), e1002807. Web.
Bernocchi, P., Giordano, A., Pintavalle, G., Galli, T., Spoglia, E. B., Baratti, D., & Scalvini, S. (2019). Feasibility and clinical efficacy of a multidisciplinary home-telehealth program to prevent falls in older adults: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 20(3), 340-346. Web.
de Castro Cezar, N. O., Ansai, J. H., de Oliveira, M. P. B., da Silva, D. C. P., de Lima Gomes, W., Barreiros, B. A.,… & de Andrade, L. P. (2021). Feasibility of improving strength and functioning and decreasing the risk of falls in older adults with Alzheimer’s dementia: a randomized controlled home-based exercise trial. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics, 96, 104476. Web.
Lee, S. H., & Yu, S. (2020). Effectiveness of multifactorial interventions in preventing falls among older adults in the community: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 106, 103564. Web.
Mahmoudi, E., Basu, T., Langa, K., McKee, M. M., Zazove, P., Alexander, N., & Kamdar, N. (2019). Can hearing aids delay time to diagnosis of dementia, depression, or falls in older adults?. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 67(11), 2362-2369. Web.
Miikkola, M., Lantta, T., Suhonen, R., & Stolt, M. (2019). Challenges of foot self-care in older people: a qualitative focus-group study. Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, 12(1), 1-10. Web.
Yoshimatsu, K., & Nakatani, H. (2022). Attitudes of home-visiting nurses toward risk management of patient safety incidents in Japan. BMC Nursing, 21(1), 1-11. Web.