Interactions during falls with environmental objects: evidence from real-life falls in long-term care captured on video.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Falls are the leading cause of injuries in older adults. Environmental objects (such as furniture, walls, and handrails) may act as hazards or facilitators to balance maintenance and safe landing. There is lack of objective evidence on how older adults interact with objects during falls. We addressed this gap by characterizing body part contacts with objects other than the floor during real-life falls in long-term care.

Methods

We analyzed videos of 1759 falls experienced by 584 residents to characterize the prevalence of contacts with objects before, during, and after fall initiation. Using generalized estimating equations, we compared the prevalence of falls with versus without contact to objects after fall initiation. Using linear mixed models, we tested for di

SUBMITTER: Shishov N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11368007 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature