FALL INJURIES AMONG ELDERLY PERSONS LIVING AT HOME

Falls and their consequences are a major health problem for elderly pe ople. The aim of this study is to describe and analyse registered fall injuries in people 65 years and older, living in their own homes, dur ing one year. In a local health care district, injuries of such severi ty as to require the attention of a doctor were registered. A form des igned according to the National Swedish Board of Health and Welfare cl assification for registration of accident injuries was used. The compu ter program Epiinfo was used for processing and analysis. One thousand six hundred and thirty-nine fall injuries among elderly people living at home were registered. The women accounted for 70%. The injuries oc curred mostly at home or in the home area during daytime and in connec tion with daily routines. Fractures accounted for 46.4% of the injurie s. Of the victims, 44.4% needed to make only one visit to a doctor. Ad ditional visits and admission to hospital were more common among the w omen. The study reveals that most of those injured were women, and tha t the falls occurred during their daily routines. Registration of this kind tells nothing about the persons and the circumstances behind the accidents. In order to gain deeper knowledge, complementary investiga tions are necessary.