Introduction
The elderly are the most fragile patients because a young kid falling could get away with bruising and scrapes, while the repercussions for an older person can be disastrous. Seniors have difficulty keeping their balance because of their age; they have impaired vision and weakened muscles to regulate their bodies. Injuries sustained in a fall take longer to heal, necessitate more expensive therapies, and can put a financial strain on the elderly. The study covers falls among the elderly as a health risk, highlighting the causal elements and evidence for the health issue in Rhode Island.
The number of older people in the US is increasing, and so is their incidence of injury. Roughly one-third of all emergency room visits in the United States are linked to intentional or unintentional harm; approximately 10 percent of these include people above 65 years of age. These figures are especially relevant in Rhode Island due to the state’s demographics. While those aged 65 and up account for 12.4 percent of the US population, they account for 14.5 percent in Rhode Island (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). It stands at number six in the 50 states regarding the proportion of its population over 65.
Health Concern – Elderly falls
Injuries are a significant public health issue for the elderly in Rhode Island. Unintentional injury was the seventh top cause of mortality for people living in Rhode Island over 65 between 2012 and 2020, while suicide was rated the ninth primary cause of death. Falls are a significant source of disability and a reduced quality of life among the old. The annual financial impact of the injuries is to the tune of billions of dollars. Falls in the elderly are a sign of frailty, stiffness, and chronic and acute health deterioration. Falls reduce functionality by causing severe injury, activity limits, and mobility loss. Most injuries among the old are caused by falls and hip fractures.
Every year, one in every three older persons falls, and falls seem to be the main reason for injury mortality in the elderly. Falls also constitute this age group’s most prevalent source of injuries and hospitalizations. Hip fractures, usually caused by falls in the elderly, cause significant disability and death. Women are the most vulnerable, accounting for 75 to 80 percent of all hip fractures (Vaishya & Vaish, 2020). People over 85 are more than ten times more likely to get a hip fracture following a fall than younger people. Approximately 50 percent of older persons admitted for a hip fracture cannot come back home or function properly. The yearly economic cost of hip fractures among the elderly population surpasses three billion US dollars.
Falls management must address the wide range of causes of fall accidents without jeopardizing the quality of life in the elderly population throughout the age range and health status. Controlled research has discovered intrinsic causes of falls, allowing for the identification of people at risk and the suggestion of appropriate preventative treatments. Older people with several health problems are the most vulnerable, but several healthy older people fall yearly. The current state of knowledge on the etiology of movement problems and falling is poor, and there is insufficient data on the efficiency of therapies to avoid falls.
Falls’ functional and psychological effects are devastating, even though such implications have received minimal attention. Fear of falling and worry over daily activities can result from movement problems or a fall in the elderly individual in danger and caregivers (Vaishya & Vaish, 2020). As a result, there may be less mobility and more reliance, which is sometimes self-inflicted but can also be imposed by others. Falling fear may lead to nursing home placements and loss of freedom.
It is impossible to make meaningful assessments of the health and other economic impacts of falls among the elderly. On the other hand, fall-related injuries account for most of the osteoporosis expenses, which have lately been approximated at $7 to $10 billion a year (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). There is a need for research on the costs of outpatient fall injuries, admissions to nursing homes caused by fear of slipping, and impairment caused by falls.
Causative Factors
The probability of falling in healthy older people is significant, implying that behavioral, psychological, exercise, and environmental variables play a role in the causes of falls and may interact with intrinsic risk factors to enhance risk. Minor environmental risks that a healthy person may readily navigate might become substantial impediments to movement and protection for a person having gait or balance deficits. More broadly, the physical requirements of particular activities may surpass the individual’s competency, causing a fall. Even though this is a potentially important field of research, present knowledge of this sort of fall health risk is relatively limited.
Doctors can help avoid injuries involving falls in the elderly by identifying elderly patients in danger of falling and referring them to social or nursing care organizations for a home safety examination. Doctors are also the best at identifying individuals with decreased strength, stability, or coordination (Vaishya & Vaish, 2020). Doctors can check all of an elderly patient’s medications to avoid side effects and interactions that may raise the risk of a fall. Periodic ophthalmologic exams are also recommended since decreased vision increases the risk of falling.
Falls are a well-known indicator of mobility impairment among the old. Persons and populations can utilize functional impairment severity to predict their chances of falling. People aged 75 to 84 years who require assistance in their daily lives are 14 times more likely to have one or numerous falls in the previous year, as do those with restrictions in movement, transfer, and balancing tasks (Burns & Kakara, 2018). The high incidence of falls recorded in nursing homes demonstrates the link between falls and frailty and functional impairments in the elder. On the other practical preventative approaches need an understanding of curable impairments and diseases that lead to functional impairment and falls in elderly persons.
Poor stairwell design, insufficient illumination, and slippery flooring are all significant environmental risks. Self-report indicates that environmental variables contribute to one-third of all falls; however, there is no comparison of exposure to environmental risks in people who fall to a control condition. The involvement of environmental factors in elderly falls is determined by intrinsic risk factors and external situational variables; however, the relationships between these variables are incompletely understood (Pellicer-García et al., 2020). People with functional limitations may be more vulnerable to a dimly light environment. Although familiarity with a particular environmental impediment may lessen the risk per encounter, the reasons that unexpectedly induce a mishap in these familiar environments are little understood, and methodologies to investigate such concerns are required.
Falls are connected with impaired eyesight, decreased lower extremity grip, and decreased grip strength. In various studies, lumbar joint arthritis and foot abnormalities lead to balance and gait issues and have been linked to falls. More research is needed into other sensory issues that may lead to falls, such as vestibular abnormalities and cervical mechanoreceptors, as well as the role of defective brain processing in functional impairment and falls. There is a close relationship between falls and reduced response time, poor reflexes, and other neurologic symptoms.
Steps to Prevent Falling
Fall prevention is a significant consideration for the elderly. As people age, body effects and health issues make falls occur more often. The first step in fall prevention is to schedule a consultation with your physician to evaluate the risk and explore fall prevention techniques. The healthcare practitioner may discuss drugs with you by preparing a prescription and over-the-counter supplements (Pellicer-García et al., 2020). They assist in reviewing drugs for potential adverse effects that might raise the likelihood of falling. The health care practitioner may recommend getting the patient off drugs that make them drowsy or impair how they think to aid in fall prevention.
The patient must write down the specifics, such as when, how, and where they fell. They should talk about times when they were about to fall but were rescued by someone or happened to clutch on something just in time. The information may assist the health care professional to identify specialized fall prevention techniques. Eye and ear issues may raise your risk of falling, necessitating a discussion with the patient about their health and how relaxed they are when walking. The healthcare professional may assess muscular strength, stability, and walking style during this procedure.
Physical activity can help in fall prevention. With the consent of the health care practitioner, the patient may explore activities like walking and water exercises. These activities help to improve strength, stability, agility, and flexibility, which reduce the chance of falling. The healthcare professional may advise the patient to participate in strictly regulated exercise regimens or send the patient to a physiotherapist (Pellicer-García et al., 2020). Therapists assist in the development of a personalized exercise program to increase body balance, flexibility, and muscular strength.
Despite of the patient’s age, appropriate footwear is essential. However, as individuals age and their risk of falling grows, selecting the correct shoes becomes increasingly important. Sometimes it is as simple as choosing a better pair and discarding the old footwear. Another thing that is sometimes overlooked is that our feet keep growing as people age. Ligaments and tendons in adults’ legs can stretch as they age (Burns & Kakara, 2018). Wearing improper shoes can aggravate issues like hip, ankle, and knee discomfort or arthritis. Even a little period in improper shoes can lead to joint tension and discomfort, as well as the body tissues that sustain them. As a result, patients should consider changing their shoes as part of their fall prevention strategy. They should wear comfortable shoes with slip-resistant soles that fit perfectly and decrease joint discomfort.
Planning a fitness program appropriate for you is one of the most excellent methods to reduce falls among the elderly. Regular workout strengthens and tones muscles. Exercise also aids with the flexibility of the tendons, ligaments, and joints (Burns & Kakara, 2018). Moderate weight-bearing exercises like climbing stairs may help to reduce bone loss caused by osteoporosis, a condition that causes bones to become weak and brittle. Exercising promotes blood flow and general bodily health.
The elderly should use an assistive device whenever they require support while walking. The proper use of walking sticks can effectively prevent falls. If a walker is recommended, the patient should ensure that it is the correct size. If one borrows walking assistance devices from a friend, they should check with their healthcare practitioner to ensure they are suitable and safe. It is especially vital while walking in unknown locations or on uneven sidewalks. An occupational therapist can assist patients in determining which gadgets may be beneficial and teaching them how to operate them properly.
Social Media Campaigns
Social media allows people to stay in touch with friends who live far away or to make new friends to get the social contact they require to thrive. Interacting with others and remaining socially active is critical for the elderly because it provides numerous significant health benefits. Injury prevention among the elderly is an initiative that aims to raise awareness and provide a platform for sharing information on how the elderly can live safely and without injuries.
The campaign aims to increase public awareness about the major causes of accidental deaths and injuries among the elderly. It also provides older adults, caretakers, and health professionals with advice on accident prevention. Unintentional falls account for over 90% of the visits to the emergency department for adults 65 years and above (Maghari, 2019). Fall-related concussions are rising among this age group, raising concerns and the need for prevention. Concussions should not be a regular aspect of aging because they weaken and immobilize the victims. Numerous life-changing accidents can be avoided in older individuals, allowing them to keep their independence and mobility.
Steps to Fall Preventions
Falls are the main cause of injury among persons aged 65 and over. On a yearly basis, slightly over three hundred older people undergo treatment resulting from fall injuries (Maghari, 2019). The most common reason for admittance to the adult trauma program at Rhode Island Hospital is a fall. Falls can result in major injuries like head trauma and fractured bones, as well as dire repercussions and death. The elderly are in significant danger of falling and suffering a major injury if they do.
Factors of Risk
Several medical issues put sufferers at a higher risk of falling. They comprise leg stiffness, balance issues, and vision impairments. Uneven stairs and slippery circumstances can significantly raise the danger of a fall at home. Most the falls among the elderly emanate from a series of risk factors (Maghari, 2019). As such, when the risk factors are high, the chances of a fall are also high. It is the mandate of the caregivers to work closely with doctors to ensure that the risk factors remain as low as possible.
Falls can be avoided by taking a few easy precautions that the caregiver and the elderly can take. The health care practitioner should first assess the risk of the elderly falling and then check the medications to determine if any place the elderly at an elevated likelihood of falling. Exercises should be done regularly by the elderly to assist them in gaining strength and enhancing their balance. The caregiver must ensure enough light in the living environment by creating clear routes to switches of light that are far from room entrances. The flashlights should be kept in places that are easy to find to prevent damage in case of a power outage.
The media movement will educate the public on the easy precautions they may take to avoid injuries and their long-term consequences. Eldercare practitioners should question their patients if they are concerned about falling (Maghari, 2019). They can go over medicines to see if anything is causing the dizziness. Exercises to increase power and mobility, routine eye checks, and a decrease in drugs associated with accident risk are all important injury-prevention measures. The awareness will target commercials to three states noted for having the greatest rates of injuries from falls, including Providence, Washington, and Newport.
Conclusion
Falls are far too prevalent among the elderly; therefore, healthcare providers must examine and treat older persons properly to reduce the risk of falling. Age-related alterations unavoidably alter physical capacities and make mental health fragile, increasing the likelihood of falling. Safety and health evaluations must be vital for caregivers to use with every entering elderly patient since they significantly aid in determining the person’s likelihood of falling.
Many therapies assist older individuals in managing and reducing their likelihood of falling, which increases with age. As a result, addressing the issue of falls among the elderly should be a high priority. The main difficulty is to develop a technique to let individuals comprehend that falling is avoidable and that preventative strategies exist. Older citizens in the neighborhood can be engaged in creating and executing preventative programs. Finally, the development of community programs that lower the health risks of falling will add to the overall fall prevention measures for the elderly. Social media will play major role in ensuring that the public gets first-hand information on the awareness of older adult’s injury programs.
References
Burns, E., & Kakara, R. (2018). Deaths from Falls Among Persons Aged ≥65 Years – United States, 2007-2016. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 67(18):509-514.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Deaths from older adult falls. Web.
Maghari, M. (2019). 10-Step Method to Prevent Elderly Falls. Michael Maghari, Monee.
Pellicer-García, B., Antón-Solanas, I., Ramón-Arbués, E., García-Moyano, L., Gea-Caballero, V., & Juárez-Vela, R. (2020). Risk of Falling and Associated Factors in Older Adults with a Previous History of Falls. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(11):4085.
Vaishya, R., & Vaish, A. (2020). Falls in Older Adults are Serious. Indian Journal of Orthopaedics, 54(1):69-74.