Home Environmental Hazard as Extrinsic Factors For Falls Among Community-Dwelling Elderly

Sharon Gondodiputro, Farhan Bariq Safnul, Indah Amelia

Abstract


Falls among the elderly are a major concern in both clinical practice and public health. Studies have shown that falls occur more frequently at home than outside home.This study aimed to identify the areas and types of home environmental hazards present in the residences elderly individuals. A quantitative descriptive study was conducted from April to May 2024 accross six primary healthcare centers in Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, selected from having the highest number of elderly patients. A total of 100 elderly respondents were recruited using a multistage purposive convenience sampling method. Data collection was carried out using an instrument consisting of two parts: the first part focused on respondent characteristics and the second part on home environmental hazards.The study variables were respondent characteristics and environmental hazards in the terrace, living room, stairs, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and garage. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel software and presented in tabular form. Results showed that all areas of the home posed potential hazards, with the presence of scattered items on the floor as the commonly identified risk. In specific areas such as the kitchen, high shelves were found, and in the bathroom, there were slippery floors, squat toilets, absence of handrails, and inward-opening bathroom door. Home can be a source of environmental hazards that increase the fall risk among the elderly. It is essential to provide the elderly with adequate information on these risk to encourage preventive actions and, where necessary, home modifications that improve safety and reduce the risk of falls.

Keywords


Elderly, extrinsic factors, fall, home environmental hazards

Full Text:

PDF

References


  1. World Health Organization. WHO Global report on falls prevention in older age. WHO. Geneva: WHO; 2007. p. 1–2.
  2. Salari N, Darvishi N, Ahmadipanah M, Shohaimi S, Mohammadi M. Global prevalence of falls in the older adults: a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis. J Orthop Surg Res. 2022;17(1):1–13.
  3. Pengpid S, Peltzer K. Prevalence and risk factors associated with injurious falls among community-dwelling older adults in Indonesia. Curr Gerontol Geriatr Res. 2018;2018:5964305. doi:10.1155/2018/59.
  4. Kim T, Choi SD, Xiong S. Epidemiology of fall and its socioeconomic risk factors in community-dwelling Korean elderly. PLoS One. 2020;15(6):6–10. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0234787
  5. Susilowati IH, Nugraha S, Sabarinah S, Peltzer K, Pengpid S, Hasiholan BP. Prevalence and risk factors associated with falls among community-dwelling and institutionalized older adults in indonesia. Malaysian Fam Physician. 2020;15(1):30–8.
  6. Montero-Odasso M, Van Der Velde N, Martin FC, Petrovic M, Tan MP, Ryg J, et al. World guidelines for falls prevention and management for older adults: a global initiative. 2022;51(9):afac205. doi:10.1093/ageing/afac205
  7. Vaishya R, Vaish A. Falls in older adults are serious. Indian J Orthop. 2020;54(1):69–74.
  8. Iamtrakul P, Chayphong S, Jomnonkwao S, Ratanavaraha V. The association of falls risk in older adults and their living environment: A case study of rural area, Thailand. Sustainability. 2021;13(0):1–16.
  9. Sharif SI, Al-Harbi AB, Al-Shihabi AM, Al-Daour DS, Sharif RS. Falls in the elderly: Assessment of prevalence and risk factors. Pharm Pract (Granada). 2018;16(3):1–7.
  10. Amatullah Y, Sastradimaja SB, Dwipa L. Intrinsic risk factors of falls in elderly. Althea Med J. 2016;3(3):334–9.
  11. Muladi A, Sutrisni ST, Lestari S, Suminar S. Tingkat keamanan lingkungan terhadap risiko jatuh pada lansia di Panti Werdha Dharma Bhakti Surakarta. Khatulistiwa Nurs J. 2023;5(1):18–25.
  12. Kim B, Do K, Yim J. Environmental factors influencing the prevalence of falls in South Korea. Phys Ther Rehabil Sci. 2022;11(1):66–77. doi: 10.14474/ptrs.2022.11.1.66
  13. Moreland BL, Kakara R, Haddad YK, Shakya I, Bergen G. A descriptive analysis of location of older adult falls that resulted in emergency department visits in the United States, 2015. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2021;15(6):590–7. doi:10.1177/1559827620942187
  14. Bleijlevens MHC, Diederiks JPM, Hendriks MRC, Van Haastregt JCM, Crebolder HFJM, Van Eijk JT. Relationship between location and activity in injurious falls: An exploratory study. BMC Geriatr. 2010;10(40):1–9. doi:10.1186/1471-2318-10-40
  15. Zhang L, Ding Z, Qiu L, Li A. Falls and risk factors of falls for urban and rural community-dwelling older adults in China. BMC Geriatr. 2019;19(1):1–17. doi:10.1186/s12877-019-1391-9
  16. Sabatini SN, Tambunan L, Kusuma HE. Elderly house environmental fall risk factors in Yogyakarta. In: Proceedings of the 11th ISAIA, Sept 20-23, Miyagi, Japan. 2016. p. 485–8.
  17. Lök N, Akin B. Domestic environmental risk factors associated with falling in elderly. Iran J Public Health. 2013;42(2):120–8.
  18. Aclan R, George S, Laver K. Common home hazards among healthy older aged adults and potential modifications required for age-friendly housing. Aust Occup Ther J. 2024;71(2):213–25.
  19. Mahmoodabad SSM, Zareipour M, Askarishahi M, Beigomi A. Effect of the living environment on falls among the elderly in Urmia. Maced J Med Sci. 2018;6(11):2233–8. doi:10.3889/oamjms.2018.434
  20. Kim D. Understanding how older adults negotiate environmental hazards in their home. J Aging Environ. 2022;36(2):173–93. doi: 10.1080/26892618.2021.1918814
  21. Vu HM, Nguyen LH, Nguyen HLT, Vu GT, Nguyen CT, Hoang TN, et al. Individual and environmental factors associated with recurrent falls in elderly patients hospitalized after falls. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020;17(2441):1–10. doi:10.3390/ijerph17072441
  22. Afifi M, Al-Hussein M, Bouferguene A. Geriatric bathroom design to minimize risk of falling for older adults- A systematic review. Eur Geriatr Med. 2015;6(6):598–603. doi:10.1016/j.eurger.2015.08.010
  23. Martosenjoyo T. Budaya bertoilet: duduk atau jongkok? Etnosia J Etnogr Indones. 2016;1(1):1–15. doi:10.31947/etnosia.v1i1.1800.
  24. Liu C, Fong JH, Hoh JWT, Wu H, Dong Y, Gu D, et al. Bathing and toileting difficulties of older adults in rural China: the role of environment. BMC Geriatr. 2020;20(1):1–9. doi:10.1186/s12877-020-01919-8
  25. Nurwulan NR. Bathroom design for enhanced comfort in Indonesian older adults and the disabled community. Sci Eng Heal Stud. 2024;18:1–10.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.15395/mkb.v57.4361

Article Metrics

Abstract view : 109 times
PDF - 35 times

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.


 


Creative Commons License
MKB is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

 


View My Stats