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M. Raval1, L. Donald2
1Mariano Marcos State University, Physical Therapy, Batac, Philippines, 2University of Santo Tomas, Rehabilitation, Manila, Philippines
Background: The presence of home hazards and mild cognitive impairment increase the risk of falls among older persons, however, the link between MCI among older adults and the presence of home hazards is not yet established.
Purpose: The primary objective of this study was to determine the relationship between mild cognitive impairment and the presence of home hazards. The secondary objective was to determine the relationship of the presence of home hazards and mild cognitive impairment with a history of falls among community-dwelling older adults.
Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional correlational design. The participants were recruited through random sampling among community-dwelling older persons of District V, Manila. The HOMEFAST-HP and Participants’ Information Sheet and Fall History questionnaire were used to assess the presence of home hazards, and socio-demographic and history of falls, respectively. Logistic regression was used to determine the correlation of the variables.
Results: Thirty-seven (37) older persons, 83.78% female, with mean age of 69.76 + 8.13, age range 60-95 years, participated in the study. A greater proportion (72.73%) of home hazards were found among those with MCI compared to those without, with statistically significant relationships found in-home hazards such as 1) loose mats not securely fixed to the floor and 2) inadequate height and firmness of the bed. Among those with MCI, 7 (24.14%) participants experienced fall more than once a year. Using simple regression, majority of home hazards were related to MCI (65.00%) and history of falls (66.67%) with significant findings on the loose mat not securely fixed and inadequate height and firmness of the bed for participants with MCI and problem in reaching items in the kitchen among fallers.
Conclusion(s): The presence of home hazards and MCI were found to be related to the history of falls. This finding suggests that home assessment and modification should be included in fall prevention programs. Further investigation using a bigger sample size is needed in order to confirm the true relationship between MCI and home hazards.
Implications: Every person will become old, but not older persons should have MCI and history of falls because they can be prevented. Thus, injuries associated with fall and MCI among older persons also can be minimized.
Funding, acknowledgements: This paper is not funded by any funding agencies.
Keywords: home hazards, mild cognitive impairment, fall
Topic: Older people
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: University of Santo Tomas
Committee: UST Graduate School Ethics Review Committee
Ethics number: GS-2016-332-R1
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
