Assessment of fear of falling and walking speed in elderly people living in a long-term institution: experience report

• Autor(a) principal: Vieira, Gláucia Cópio
• Data de Publicação: 2019
• Outros Autores: Valentim Cardoso, Gabriela, Aparecida Almeida Barros, Ariane, Caroline Muzi Cunha, Ana, Machado Delgado, Ana Carolina
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: HU Revista (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.ufjf.br/index.php/hurevista/article/view/25920
• topic: Fear; Gait; Elderly; Accidental Falls; Medo; Marcha; Idoso; Acidentes por Quedas

Introduction: Some instruments were developed to measure fear of falls, with Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I) being the best known and most widely used. The gait speed test has also been widely used in this context since it allows recognizing changes in gait and balance deficits that are closely linked to the fear of falling and the risk of falls. Objective: Discuss how the use of simple and low-cost assessment tools can contribute to the verification of fear of falling and the risk of falls in institutionalized elderly people Experience Report: The experience is the result of the Voluntary Action Project developed as part of the "Solidary EBSERH" event sponsored by the Brazilian Hospital Services Company (EBSERH). The Elderly House "Santa Luiza de Marillac", benefited by the action, is a long-term institution located in the city of Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. During the action, the Physiotherapy team evaluated the history of falls in the last year and associated factors and the fear of falling through the FES-I questionnaire. The gait speed test was also performed to verify the mobility of the elderly and the risk for falls. Half of the elderly surveyed said they had suffered at least one drop in the last year. By the final scores of the FES-I questionnaire (29±8.3 points) it was possible to notice that the elderly were very worried about the possibility of falling. In the gait velocity test the elderly had intermediate scores (0.71 ± 0.23 m/s). After the evaluations the physiotherapists guided the patients according to their individual needs and each elderly person received a primer with specific guidelines for fall prevention. Conclusion: Actions such as that mentioned in this study become important in the identification of the risk of falls in institutionalized elderly people, thus contributing to the elaboration of strategies and behaviors that aim to minimize the occurrence of this event.