Analysis Of Falls Prevention And Risk Assessment Of The Elderly Population While In Long Term Care

Present the Evidence: Prevention of Patient Falls According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), each year, one third of those who are 65 and older fall (2013). These falls contributed to $34 billion in direct medical costs in 2013 (cite). With these statistics, it is apparent that health care professionals and health care settings need to make fall prevention a priority in their facilities. The aim of this paper is to explore a fall prevention policy and practice guidelines to evaluate recent evidence and offer recommendations.

Statistics indicate that one out of three senors will need an extensive amont of time to recover as a result of a accdnet that occured when they fell, such as a fractured bone. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention proclaims that falls ae the number cause on injuries in senriors, and is the number one reason why senior citizens end up in a recovery program. In this posting we'll take a look at several things you can do to minzine the possibility of falling while you're at home. 1) Do Not Wear Loose Clothing Many fall victims sustained an injury as a reusltof the fact that they tripped over loosing cloothing such as an extra long pants.

(Wilson et al. 2016) Individualizing and specifying fall preventive interventions and strategies for different type of patients based on their fall risk factors are more likely to reduce falls than general interventions used such as signs on their doors (Wilson et al., 2016). The purpose of this study was to examine the perception of nurses regarding the use of fall prevention interventions specific to patients at risk for falls and to implement the use of these fall prevention strategies used to promote these fall prevention practices (Wilson et al., 2016). The fall risk factors in the mobility risk category included gait instability, bilateral lower extremity weakness, assistance needed to get out of bed and/ or walk, and the use of mobility equipment. Some fall prevention interventions used to address these risk factors included ambulation three to four times per day with or without assistance unless contraindicated; referral to physical therapy for assessment, gait, and/or strength training; range of motion; minimizing use of immobilizing equipment and/or assist with ambulation; and use of proper assistive equipment (Wilson et al., 2016).

This act created a major revision of standards of care for nursing homes. This legislation also changed the expectations and the quality of care that patients should receive in long term care facilities. This Nursing Home Reform Act passed by congress specifically stated “that each residents have the right to be free from any physical or chemical restraints imposed for purposes of discipline or convenience and not required to treat the resident’s medical symptoms”. While there may be some benefits to using restraints in nursing homes, however, studies have shown that using restraints in nursing homes negatively impacts patients and for the most part does not prevent them from falling or from other incidents that may occur. There are very high levels of risks associated with the use of restraints (Lapane,150).

References Bilik, O., Damar, H. T., & Karayurt, O. (2017). Fall behaviors and risk factors among elderly patients with hip fractures. Acta Paulista De Enfermagem, 30(4), 420-427. doi:10.1590/1982-0194201700062 Nicholas, J., & Wiseman, M. (2009). ELDERLY POVERTY AND SUPPLEMENTAL SECURITY INCOME.

For example, in the elderly population are at an increased risk of falling from a variety of reasons.

This program, called the Nijmegen Falls Prevention Program, included one hundred thirteen elderly clients with a history of falls. Exercise sessions were held twice a week for five weeks with fall monitoring done before and after the experiment. Control assessments were also done continuously thru the study to determine client changes in standing balance, balance confidence, and obstacle avoidance skills. The results of the Nijmegen Falls Prevention Program showed that the number of falls within the exercise group dropped by a significant forty six percent! Not only less falls, but obstacle avoidance skills dramatically improved as did balance

Fall-related fracture is the common phenomenon in older adults resulting in chronic pain, loss of function, and disability. Evidently, it is the highest cause of accidental death in older adults. Noteworthy, the frequency of falls increases with age and frailty levels. Moreover, frail older adults, with a history of falling, are significantly at risk of adverse health outcomes including increased hospital stays and death. The causation of fall in frail older adults are intricate and interfere with the interrelationship between individual and environment context.

Problem Identification Getting out of bed is one of the dangerous things that the elderly patients do when they are admitted in the hospital. Study conducted by Ambrose, Paul & Hausdorff, (2013) on patient falls reveals that a majority of falls in the elderly patients occur between 0700 and 1900, especially when they are getting out of bed to use the rest room. The cause of their falls is mainly due to unsteady gait, memory loss, confusion that comes with age. Memory loss and vision problems which occurs during old age in the elderly patients puts them at risk for falls. Other factors that can lead to falls are; Presence of throw rugs, psychotropic medications, lack of Vitamin D, and weakness of the lower extremities.

• What methods are being used to measure the impact of AAL solutions in terms of health-related outcomes? To perform the systematic literature review the authors defined a review protocol with explicit descriptions of the methods to be used and the steps to be taken. The protocol followed the guidelines of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) [4] and is briefly described in this

It also provided the use of critical thinking and clinical judgment on how to prevent falls, support, and be accountable for a client professionally. The practical knowledge I have learned helped me become aware of assessing and assisting a client. As a nurse, our job is to provide “safe, compassionate, competent and ethical care” (p.8) and collaborate as an interprofessional team to deliver safe care and prevent risks from happening while offering quality nursing care (CNA, 2017). I will always provide the professional care under the code of ethics to promote health and wellness for an older adult and prevent risks from happening. As well as following the plan of care, use communication strategies, be aware, acknowledge, and accommodate individuals with different diseases such as with dementia, to promote fall prevention strategies (RNAO, 2017).

I will also discuss on how this clinical situation could be done differently. Clinical scenario I was posted to a medical ward in National University Hospital for my clinical posting. There is a particular cubicle allocated for patients with very high risk of fall called the “Green eye cubicle “. Patients in that cubicle are usually confused or not compliant to fall precaution.

The incident happened because of lack of attention given to patient. We manage to mobilized her to the chair and reassured her. We also follow the standard procedure of patient’s fall which is to check on her vital sign and physical for any post trauma injury. The Department of Health Western Australia (2015) listed that checking the potential injury and the vital sign was the Immediate post-fall procedures that all nurses accounted to.

Next we will approach the most common types of accidents that occur in a home and talk about what you can do to prevent them from happening. Falls Falls are the leading cause of home injuries and deaths in America. The most vulnerable household members to these incidents are the small children and the elders. To make your home a safer place install stair lifts for the elderly; this way they can't slip and fall down the stairs.

She also reported feeling lower limb weakness over the past few days Past medical history: Hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes, Atrial Fibrillation, bilateral osteoarthritis knees with TKR on right knee one year ago, history of fall within the last 6 months were two falls- indoor, loss balance, no loss of consciousness Premorbid history: She was independent with her activity of daily living. Indoor, she was a furniture walker and mobilise independently. In the community, she walked with walking-stick independently with frequent rest every 30 metres due to (L) knee pain.