Fall Prevention Pilot Project in the Elderly
Date of Graduation
Fall 2004
Degree
Master of Science in Nursing
Department
Nursing
Committee Chair
Susan Hinck
Abstract
Falls and their resulting injuries have become a serious public health issue among the elderly population. More than half of all falls occur in the home or on home premises. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether elderly people who participated in a fall prevention program made recommended environmental and personal changes to reduce falls, and identified factors affecting adherence to the program. Roy's Adaptation Model was the theoretical framework used. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the sample and to assess subjects' awareness about falls, attitudes about fall risk, fall prevention behaviors, and incidence of falls. The planned intervention included two sessions. Session 1 consisted of a fall risk discussion using a home scale model to help participants identify environmental hazards in their own homes. Session 2 consisted of an in-home visit to see if the participants associated hazards in the model with hazards in their home and thereby eliminating their home hazards. The sample consisted of seven women age 65 and older who were community dwellers. Participants were recruited from a Saint Louis, Missouri home setting where they gathered monthly to play pinochle. Findings revealed a user-friendly fall prevention intervention program.
Keywords
elderly, fall, extrinisic factors, fall prevention, Roy Adaptation Model
Subject Categories
Nursing
Copyright
© Deborah A. Upton
Recommended Citation
Upton, Deborah A., "Fall Prevention Pilot Project in the Elderly" (2004). MSU Graduate Theses. 1670.
https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/1670
Dissertation/Thesis