Prevalence and factors associated with falls in the elderly at home: correlation between independence, balance and gender

• Grant number: 13/22882-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2014
• End date: July 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Daniel Marinho Cezar da Cruz
• Grantee: Tatiane de Carvalho Lima
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The increasing of life expectancy requires qualified health services and professionals to take care of elderly people. The falling is an important factor to be analyzed and is a very common cause of accidents in this group, affecting the functional capacities, social aspects and autonomy. Objective: The purpose of this study is to identify the prevalence and risk factors of falling associated to elderly people (older than 60), living in São Carlos, at their homes and with no known peripheral or central nerve pathologies who can walk independently. Method: This is a study with a quantitative approach using standardized instruments for data colleta. Data will be collected from the three family's health units in the city presenting the biggest number of people in these conditions, following the indication of the Regional Administration Area. To collect the data we will use the functional instruments: Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and a questionnaire sheet elaborated by the researches. The data will be analyzed using statistical methods for correlation between the variables.