Factors associated with XXXX during falls by ambulatory nursing home residents.

@entity308 @entity425 @entity130
Recognizing the importance of identifying fallers at risk for injury, the author studied factors associated with injury during falls by ambulatory nursing home residents. Forty-eight of 79 subjects (61%) fell during their first year of residence. Fourteen fallers suffered a @entity130 . Among fallers, subjects with lower extremity @entity425 were more likely to be injured than were fallers without @entity425 (42 versus 12% injured). On the other hand, injured fallers needed less help than noninjured fallers (14% needed help with at least 2 activities of daily living versus 35%), and were less likely to be @entity308 than were noninjured fallers (7 versus 38%). Although frequently associated with falling, no injury occurred while rising from a chair. The contribution of environmental hazards was not well defined. The only acute factor distinguishing noninjurious from injurious falls was a recent previous fall (present in 30% of the former and 0% of the latter). The finding that injured fallers tend to be more independent, yet have greater lower extremity @entity425 , than noninjured fallers suggests that both components of injury, namely force of impact and protective responses of the faller, may contribute to likelihood of injury during a fall. This study suggests that if predictive characteristics of the @entity130 , or the fall, can be identified, preventive strategies could be targeted at the high risk group.
