Statement of the problem
Accidents affect many older adults’ livelihood and independence since they may cause mortality, increased morbidity, reduced functioning, development of chronic diseases, and lack of autonomy, leading to premature nursing. Fatalities arising from the fall or injuries related to falling are the second cause of deaths that are not intentional, standing at 684,000 fatalities. A substantial amount of money has been spent on fall-related injuries in the USA (Falls, 2022). Research conducted by CDC indicates that each year at least 300,000 old age people are hospitalized for hip fractures. Women fall more than men; therefore, they account for three-quarters of (All hip structures, 2020).
The cost incurred by the elderly is a lot on their hospitalization due to fall-related problems. Family and friends have a hard time looking out for the elderly who have suffered fall-related injuries, thus taking them to nursing homes. Measures should be put in place to mitigate this problem, thus reducing fatalities or injuries sustained from falls.
Background information
All injuries are the leading cause of unintentional mortalities in persons over 65 years; these account for 41 fatalities per 100000 deaths annually (Majdan & Mauritz, 2015). The number one cause of injuries and deaths in the United States (US) among the elderly is falling. This, in turn, results in hip fractures and other serious injuries, leading to hospitalization and loss of independence, thus admission to nursing homes. These falls may lead to increased aging, erectile dysfunction, or other chronic problems (Coggins, 2018). The falls can cause fear among the elderly, thus preventing them from carrying on their daily errands, that is, taking part in social activities, walking, and shopping. Many risk factors arise from these physical factors, behavioral/ lifestyle, and environmental factors.
Physical
While aging, many people tend to develop an illness or physical condition that leads to balance and gait problems. These conditions include Parkinson’s disease, thyroid problems, stroke, old age, muscle weakness, urinary inconsistency, anemia, vertigo, arthritis, brain disorders, and dehydration. Lack of body fluids in the elderly may lead to hypotension, leading to a fall. As one becomes old, the eyesight, hearing, and reflexes are affected compared to when they were younger (“Prevent Falls and Fractures,” 2022). The muscles tend to grow weaker as we age. This has a significant effect on our balance and strength. Risk factors for having weak muscles can be related to lack of exercise, arthritis, and polymyalgia rheumatic. Hearing or inner ear problems such as labyrinthitis may cause dizziness, a risk factor for an older adult for a fall. Urinary inconsistency makes a more senior person take so many trips to the washroom; while they hasten to go to the bathroom, it increases their susceptibility to a fall.
The occurrence of falls amongst neurological patients is not well known though it causes disturbances in gait and balance. Brain disorders include dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, delirium, depression, or psychotic behavior. These diseases majorly affect normal brain activities; hence, one cannot offer appropriate motor skills, making them more prone to a fall. This may be due to dizziness and drowsiness.
Behavioral/ Lifestyle
Lifestyle factors include actions, emotions, and choices an older person makes (What Contributes to Falls, 2022). They include medicine, inappropriate footwear, lack of physical activity, and poor nutrition. Some medications might bring about dizziness, drowsiness, or reduce alertness due to their ability to suppress the nervous system, thus making one more susceptible to a fall. They include psychotropic drugs, anti-psychotics, antidepressants, anticholinergic, cardiovascular, diuretics, antihypertensive, painkillers, anticonvulsants (Coggins, 2018). Some symptoms that cause falls include postural disturbances and altered gait and balance; opiates and antipsychotics cause these effects. Antihypertensives, antidepressants, and cardiac drugs bring about confusion, induced orthostasis, and poor health status. At the same time, the diuretics cause ambulation and reduced orthostasis (Center for Disease Control, 2018).
Environmental
These are risk factors that are hazardous conditions on someone’s property that might trigger a fall. They include weather, lighting conditions, designs standards, physical obstacles, spatial distractions, and pedestrian traffic.
Discussion
Exhaustive studies conducted clinically show that older adults with underlying problems have more susceptibility to falls than healthy ones (Huang et al., 2012). Even healthy people experience fall-related injuries and deaths, ranging from lifestyle to environmental factors. The design standards cause most falls that are environmental related, that is, loose tiles fittings which may cause falls. The female seniors of 75 years and above with body mass, cognitive impairment, and history of stroke are determinants for most falls. Muscles grow weaker; hence older adults who work out regularly are less susceptible to fall than those who never exercise apart from other underlying factors.
Conclusion
Gender plays a massive role in the fall-related injury. Older adults with underlying health conditions are more susceptible to fall-related injuries. Therefore, health problems should be taken seriously and treated on time as others might develop into chronic issues. Older people should embrace exercising to keep their muscles fit and feed on a proper diet. Education related to falls should be done, thus creating awareness among the elderly about proper medicinal use as some drugs are abused, for example, Opiates.
Recommendations
- Research should be conducted to determine if nurse staff to old patient ratio contributes to fall-related injuries.
- Evaluation if dietary factor vitamin D plays a role in the healing of the injuries that are fall-relate.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). Keep on your feet-preventing older Adult Falls. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). STEADI materials for health care providers.
Coggins, M. D. (2018). Medication monitor: Medications that increase fall risk. Todays Geriatric Medicine, 11(4), 30.
Falls. Who.int. (2022). RWeb.
Huang, A., Mallet, L., Rochefort, C., Eguale, T., Buckeridge, D., & Tamblyn, R. (2012). Medication-Related Falls in the Elderly. Drugs & Aging, 29(5), 359-376. Web.
Majdan, M., & Mauritz, W. (2015). Unintentional fall-related mortality in the elderly: comparing patterns in two countries with different demographic structure.BMJ Open, 5(8), e008672. Web.
National Institute on Aging. Prevent Falls and Fractures. (2022). Web.
What Contributes to Falls? – Province of British Columbia. Www2.gov.bc.ca. (2022). Web.