Abstract
Objective : This study aimed to clarify the situation with domestic falls among elderly women, and investigate ways to prevent such falls, which can lead to the need for long-term care. Methods : Of the 1,706 elderly women who had experienced a fall within the past year, the 1,562 who were not diagnosed as needing long-term care were chosen as the subjects. A questionnaire was sent to each subject to collect general information, as well as information such as whether or not the subject experienced repeated domestic falls, the place the falls took place, their residential environments, and physical and social factors. Results : For all items, comparisons between the 100 subjects who suffered repeated domestic falls and the 436 who did not were made using the χ2 statistical test for category variables and the Mann Whitney test for age. Multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted on whether subjects had repeated domestic falls as well as other significant items. As a result, the following were extracted: "living alone (or not)" (OR=1.67; 95% CI=1.01-2.75) ; "furniture in the home may pose as obstacles (or not)" (OR=2.74; CI=1.63-4.61) ; "IADL (instrumental activities of daily living) score (1 point)" (OR=0.65; CI=0.49-0.86) and "intellectual activeness score (1 point)" (OR=0.68; CI=0.52-0.88), the latter two being subscales in the TMIG Index of Competence. Conclusion : In cases where furniture in the home posed obstacles, the risk of repeated domestic falls increased. This indicates the need to conduct a residential environmental evaluation that will help identify the risk of falls inside a home, in addition to conventional exercise programs to serve as a preventive measure.
