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Study: Program to remove tripping hazards cuts risk of injuries from falls to seniors

Working with an occupational therapist can help reduce the risk for falls among older adults, according to a new study. Photo courtesy of Max Pixel/Pixabay
Working with an occupational therapist can help reduce the risk for falls among older adults, according to a new study. Photo courtesy of Max Pixel/Pixabay

Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Older adults who work with occupational therapists to remove tripping "hazards" from their homes can reduce their risk for serious injuries from falls, a study published Tuesday by JAMA Network Open found.

Those who worked with the specialists to identify and resolve potentially dangerous conditions in their homes had nearly 40% fewer falls than people who did not take this step, the data showed.

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People who, under the advice of occupational therapists, removed furniture that could cause trips, installed non-slip surfaces in the bathroom and, as needed, added railings and grab bars to maintain balance averaged 1.5 falls in the year after doing so.

Study participants who served as controls in the study and had only annual consultations with occupational therapists on potential trip hazards in the home averaged 2.3 falls per year, the researchers said.

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"Falls can place older adults at high risk of injury, death and premature [admission to] nursing homes, but they are preventable," study co-author Susan Stark told UPI in an email.

"A simple, inexpensive home hazard removal program delivered at home by occupational therapists can reduce the rate of falls for high-risk fallers," said Stark, an instructor in the occupational therapy program at Washington University in St. Louis.

The study used occupational therapists working with local agencies that are part of the National Aging Network, a federal program run by the U.S. Administration on Aging that oversees hundreds of state and city offices that offer support for seniors, according to Stark.

Services offered in the study are widely available, and at a low cost, Stark said.

The brief home hazard removal program provided to about half of the study participants resulted in an estimated $2.11 reduction in healthcare costs related to falls for every $1 spent, she said.

Falls are a common source of serious injury among older adults, resulting in some 2.2 emergency room visits annually, according to data released in May by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These incidents can lead to life-threatening health complications and mean that many older adults no longer can live independently, Stark said.

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For this study, she and her colleagues assessed the fall risk for 275 adults in their late 60s to early 80s deemed to be at high risk for falls due to chronic health conditions.

Roughly half of the study participants were enrolled in a program offering at-home consultation with occupational therapists for review of routine activities and identification of potential trip hazards, the researchers said.

The participants underwent a "comprehensive evaluation" of their strength, mobility, vision and hearing, Stark said.

Any hazards were removed as part of a supervised remediation program, and assistive devices such as handrails were installed as needed, they said.

The remaining participants had an annual consultation with an occupational therapist -- at their offices -- in which the professionals offered education on potential trip hazards and recommendations for reducing the risk for falls.

More than 90% of the study participants who received at-home consultations adhered to the recommendations offered by the professionals, the data showed.

On average, these participants reduced the number of potential trip hazards in their home by more than 50%.

They experienced 38% fewer falls over the one-year study period than those who had only the annual consultation off-site, according to the researchers.

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The 135 participants in the at-home consultation group had a total of 201 falls during the one-year period, while the 140 people in the control group had 316.

"Each individual is unique, so their hazards are too," Stark said.

"For example, a low stair may be a big barrier to someone using a cane, but not as much of a risk for someone who has good strength and balance of their lower extremities," she said.

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