A profile of elderly fallers referred for physiotherapy in the Emergency Department of a Dublin teaching hospital
| dc.contributor.author | Crehan, F | |
| dc.contributor.author | O’Shea, D | |
| dc.contributor.author | Ryan, JM | |
| dc.contributor.author | Horgan, F | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2013-06-17T14:38:50Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2013-06-17T14:38:50Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2013-06 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10147/294113 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Ireland has an ageing population and the elderly are over-represented in Emergency Departments (ED) - a quarter of these presentations resulting from falls. A prospective study design was employed using a convenience sample to profile elderly fallers referred for physiotherapy in ED. Forty-subjects were assessed over 14 weeks. Mean age was 84.88 years (s.d. 7.3) and 31 (77.5%) were female. All demonstrated slow walking speed and 26 (65%) demonstrated poor grip strength. A quarter of subjects reported fear of falling and 30 (75%) were classified as frail. Elderly fallers in ED are a frail group of socially vulnerable patients who demonstrate a risk of further falls. Osteoporosis had been diagnosed in 9 (22.5%) subjects â a low prevalence compared with international research, but 25 (62.5%) subjects had never had a DEXA scan. The prevalence of frailty in the sample of elderly fallers in this study was very high (75%). | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.publisher | Irish Medical Journal | en_GB |
| dc.relation.url | http://www.imj.ie/ | en_GB |
| dc.subject | PHYSIOTHERAPY | |
| dc.subject | OLDER PEOPLE | |
| dc.subject | FALL | |
| dc.subject | HOSPITAL | |
| dc.title | A profile of elderly fallers referred for physiotherapy in the Emergency Department of a Dublin teaching hospital | en_GB |
| dc.type | Article | en |
| dc.identifier.journal | Irish Medical Journal | en_GB |
| dc.description.province | Leinster | en |
| refterms.dateFOA | 2018-08-23T05:46:05Z | |
| html.description.abstract | Ireland has an ageing population and the elderly are over-represented in Emergency Departments (ED) - a quarter of these presentations resulting from falls. A prospective study design was employed using a convenience sample to profile elderly fallers referred for physiotherapy in ED. Forty-subjects were assessed over 14 weeks. Mean age was 84.88 years (s.d. 7.3) and 31 (77.5%) were female. All demonstrated slow walking speed and 26 (65%) demonstrated poor grip strength. A quarter of subjects reported fear of falling and 30 (75%) were classified as frail. Elderly fallers in ED are a frail group of socially vulnerable patients who demonstrate a risk of further falls. Osteoporosis had been diagnosed in 9 (22.5%) subjects â a low prevalence compared with international research, but 25 (62.5%) subjects had never had a DEXA scan. The prevalence of frailty in the sample of elderly fallers in this study was very high (75%). |
