Abstract
Purpose : The objective was to clarify the incidence of falls in the home environment among the region's elderly women, and to investigate the support for fall prevention. Methods : The study participants were 207 women aged 65 years and over who were attending an educational lecture for the elderly. The survey method involved the use of an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire on each day of the lecture. The questionnaire items included basic attributes, the circumstances of falls, the home environment, physical health and activities of daily living (ADL). Results : Of these subjects, 49 (23.7%) had experienced a fall within the past year. There were 14 (28.5%) who had experienced a fall at home, with a mean age of 75.9 ± 5.7 years, which was higher than the mean age of all members of the group who had falls. The characteristics observed for those who had experienced falls at home were that many had housemates, many suffered from osteoporosis, many had injuries that required a doctor's visit, and in particular two (10.0%) who were in their 80s had bone fractures. Regarding the steps and floor surfaces in the home, there were 9 factors reported by a significantly larger proportion of the "fall group" vs. the "non-fall group," such as "there are steps in the gate and at the front door, and I almost stumble," "the entrance step is high and I lose my balance," "the mat, carpet and kitchen mat are slippery and I stumble easily," "there are electric cords running across the floor." Home environmental factors were the cause of falling for 50.0% of those who had falls in the home. Conclusions : It was shown that having steps in the home is related to falls, and that many persons aged 75 and over suffer from falls in the home. This study suggests the necessity that the preventive nursing care industry should not only be concerned with exercise, but should also incorporate details of improving the housing environment of private homes. In particular, it is necessary to improve the housing environment of private homes by considering how to prevent falls by persons aged 75 and over.
