Risk Factors Associated with Falls and Injuries among Elderly Institutionalized Persons

Abstract

A case-control study among 184 matched pairs of patients 65 years of age and older was undertaken to identify risk factors associated with falls and injuries in a long-term care facility in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1984-1985. Patients were matched on length of stay. Variables of interest included sociodemography, functional status, medications, and diagnoses. For all levels of care combined, the following factors were associated (p ≤ 0.01) with increased falls: being able to walk (relative odds (RO) = 4.0), age 90 years and older (RO = 3.8), a history of falling (RO = 5.0), and taking a vasdilator (RO = 3.0). Among the 184 fallers, the diagnosis of dementia (RO = 7.5) or taking a diuretic (RO = 7.2) was positively assodated with injury (p ≤ 0.01). In each of the analyses, medications were associated with falls or injuries, suggesting a feasible intervention. The combination of a history of falling, being able to walk, and being 90 years of age or older increased the relative odds to 51.9 and could alert clinicians to identify and monitor high-risk elderly persons in need of preventive measures.