Fall Prevention in Elderly Population
The falls are one of the leading injury causes in Canada. This is especially true about elderly population. In this paper it will be discussed how the nurses can diminish the fall rates among seniors in long term care settings and in community.
According to World Health Organization, “A fall is defined as an event which results in a person coming to rest inadvertently on the ground or floor or other lower level.” The consequences of the falls (if any) can range from very mild such as ecchymosis to severe such as patient’s death. Elderly patients are more likely to suffer from severe injuries and fall-related deaths than any other population (WHO, 2012, p.7). The contributing factors are, but not limited …show more content…
The injury rate dramatically increases with age resulting in 52 falls per 1000 females after age of 85 and 35 falls per 1000 males. In Seniors’ Falls in Canada: Second report the authors pointed out that 35% of the injuries result in broken bones, followed by sprains and strains accordingly 30 % (2014, p.19). These injuries have significant influence on the overall life quality of senior population. Not only the older adults are temporary or permanently with limited range of motion, often confined to the bed or wheelchair, but also their self-esteem decreases and the fear from future falls might affect their lives (Honaker, Kretschmer, 2014, p. 21). As a result, the elderly are less independent, and their health is decreased.
Public Health Agency of Canada in one of the reports emphasized several ways how the falls can be prevented (2014). That overlaps with the nursing competency of promoting the patient safety. The nurse can promote the patient’s safety by making the fall risk assessment using various fall risk scales, and also directly by eliminating the potential obstacles in environment and applying the safety measures(Ebersole, Hess, 2012, p. 189 – …show more content…
He is a white male, retired, 83 years old, lives on two story house with his wife who requires assistance for her daily living activities. One year ago R. fall down the stairs in the basement which resulted in right lower leg fracture. As a consequence of this fall, R. was confined to the bed. After this fall, the overall health of R. rapidly declined, and never turned back to the same level of wellness as before the fall. As it was mentioned before, the falls have not only physical impact on the patient, but also might affect the social, spiritual and psychological state. In a case of R., his children are living in the different city, and his wife was not able to pick up his household duties, which included grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning. Therefore, R. started to developed nutritional deficiencies because of his inability to prepare meals and buy the food, which affected also his recovery time. The extensive period of limited mobility had also the negative effect on his physical strength even after the patient healed. R. stated that he is not able to walk or stand for the longer periods of time, and he needs a cane to ambulate. Before the fracture R. was actively involved in community such as church activities, volunteering, and he often visited his friends. He was always commuting by a car, but after the injury he was not able to drive anymore, and even a year later he reports the pain in the leg while driving and because of
The falls are one of the leading injury causes in Canada. This is especially true about elderly population. In this paper it will be discussed how the nurses can diminish the fall rates among seniors in long term care settings and in community.
According to World Health Organization, “A fall is defined as an event which results in a person coming to rest inadvertently on the ground or floor or other lower level.” The consequences of the falls (if any) can range from very mild such as ecchymosis to severe such as patient’s death. Elderly patients are more likely to suffer from severe injuries and fall-related deaths than any other population (WHO, 2012, p.7). The contributing factors are, but not limited …show more content…
The injury rate dramatically increases with age resulting in 52 falls per 1000 females after age of 85 and 35 falls per 1000 males. In Seniors’ Falls in Canada: Second report the authors pointed out that 35% of the injuries result in broken bones, followed by sprains and strains accordingly 30 % (2014, p.19). These injuries have significant influence on the overall life quality of senior population. Not only the older adults are temporary or permanently with limited range of motion, often confined to the bed or wheelchair, but also their self-esteem decreases and the fear from future falls might affect their lives (Honaker, Kretschmer, 2014, p. 21). As a result, the elderly are less independent, and their health is decreased.
Public Health Agency of Canada in one of the reports emphasized several ways how the falls can be prevented (2014). That overlaps with the nursing competency of promoting the patient safety. The nurse can promote the patient’s safety by making the fall risk assessment using various fall risk scales, and also directly by eliminating the potential obstacles in environment and applying the safety measures(Ebersole, Hess, 2012, p. 189 – …show more content…
He is a white male, retired, 83 years old, lives on two story house with his wife who requires assistance for her daily living activities. One year ago R. fall down the stairs in the basement which resulted in right lower leg fracture. As a consequence of this fall, R. was confined to the bed. After this fall, the overall health of R. rapidly declined, and never turned back to the same level of wellness as before the fall. As it was mentioned before, the falls have not only physical impact on the patient, but also might affect the social, spiritual and psychological state. In a case of R., his children are living in the different city, and his wife was not able to pick up his household duties, which included grocery shopping, cooking, and cleaning. Therefore, R. started to developed nutritional deficiencies because of his inability to prepare meals and buy the food, which affected also his recovery time. The extensive period of limited mobility had also the negative effect on his physical strength even after the patient healed. R. stated that he is not able to walk or stand for the longer periods of time, and he needs a cane to ambulate. Before the fracture R. was actively involved in community such as church activities, volunteering, and he often visited his friends. He was always commuting by a car, but after the injury he was not able to drive anymore, and even a year later he reports the pain in the leg while driving and because of