Falls in the elderly of the Family Health Program

This study aims to determine the factors that may be related to falls in the elderly assisted by the Family Health Program (FHP). Elderly individuals aged 60 years or over, who were assisted by the FHP primary care system (n = 2209), responded to a sociodemographic and health questionnaire. Mental health was evaluated using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and quality of life was assessed by the Medical Outcome Study Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). In order to verify which independent variables affected the occurrence of falls, logistic regression analysis was performed. 27.1% of the sample reported one fall during the previous year, and 8.7% were recurrent fallers over the same period. The factors considered in the final model for falls were: age over 80 years-old, female gender, the presence of more than eight associated diseases, need for hospitalization during the previous year and appointments outside the FHP routine, hearing complaints, GDS score over 11 points, and emotional problems SF-36 score between 25 and 74 points. The factors included in the final model for falls can be easily identified and properly overcome by FHP strategy. Patient falling history investigation should thus form part of the FHP team routine. This concern should be reinforced when it comes to women aged 80 years and over. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.