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CCBY-NCSA_V3.0_US, Open Access
Thesis
Falls: The Community-Dwelling Elder
Washington State University
Master of Nursing (MN), Washington State University
05/2005
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/3747
Abstract
The rapid growth of the elder population and overall chronic disability among older age groups provides a challenge for the health care system in assessing and providing health care that will balance the increasing need of medical intervention and the struggle of the elderly population to remain independent. Successful fall prevention entails identifying at-risk elders and implementing measures that impede or minimize patient injury. This article examines the risk factors and clinical indications for screening community-dwelling elders who are at risk for falls. It focuses on three areas that can directly impact balance and performance of the elder: polypharmacy, frailty and compliance with safety recommendations. While most falls do not result in death or severe injury, the physical and emotional impact can result in decreased performance of activities of daily living and greatly reduce an individual's quality of life. Effective fall prevention not only entails an understanding of the intervention needs during acute and chronic phases post fall, but requires proactive strategies to decrease the risk factors that impact the elder's life leading to polypharmacy, frailty and the struggle for continued independence.
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Details
- Title
- Falls: The Community-Dwelling Elder
- Creators
- Maria Foy
- Contributors
- Renee Hoeksel (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Research Projects, College of Nursing
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Nursing (MN), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; Spokane, Washington
- Identifiers
- 99900590734701842
- Copyright
- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us; Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US)
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis