Falling is a part of life: Falls risk factors to the elderly

Abstract

Objective: To identify the prevalence of falling among the elderly living in urban areas and analyze the risk factors associated with falls. Method: quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive study, to which attended 368 seniors. The data were collected with the support of an instrument with demographic issues and the Mini Mental State Examination. To analyze, the descriptive statistics and chi-square test were used. Results: It was found that 53% of the elderly have fallen in the last six months, the main cause is related to inadequate domestic environment. 46,7% of the elderly who fell were using drugs. Among the elderly who were not studied, 67,6%% had cognitive impairment and, of these, 47.8% have fallen; of the 35.54% elderly who have education and exhibit cognitive impairment, 44,1% have had falls. Conclusion: The knowledge of risk factors for falls among the elderly favors the implementation of actions aimed at maximizing the quality of life and prevent falls in the elderly.