Falls in the elderly population is a growing concern for public health, with millions of injuries occurring annually among older adults. Those living with dementia are at twice the risk of falling and three times the risk of experiencing severe injuries from falls. Even minor fall-related injuries can result in hospitalization or nursing home admission for older adults with dementia.
Despite awareness of this elevated risk, there are very few studies that have examined fall-risk factors among people with dementia living in a community setting . The studies that do exist, overwhelmingly focus on health and function factors. According to the authors, this is the first nationally representative study to compare a comprehensive set of potential risk factors for falls for older Americans living with dementia to those without dementia.
Among older adults living with dementia, three characteristics stood out as significantly associated with a greater likelihood of falls: a history of falling the previous year; impaired vision; and living with others . For older adults without dementia, financial hardship, a history of falling, fear of falling, poor lower extremity performance, depressive symptoms, and home disrepair were strongly associated with an increased risk of falls.
The finding that older adults living with dementia who lived with a spouse or with non-spousal others had higher odds of experiencing a fall, compared to those who lived alone, highlights that caregiver support and education are understudied components of fall prevention programs for older adults with dementia who live with family caregivers, and deserve greater attention from clinicians, researchers, and policymakers.
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