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Fear as a risk factor of seniors falling
JUŘENOVÁ, Renáta
Fear of falling, even without previous experience with falling, can put older people in higher risk due to their reduced activities. In this diploma thesis Fear as a risk factor of seniors falling there were two objectives to achieve. The first objective was to determine the fear of falling for people aged 65 and over, living on their own or in nursing homes. The second objective was to determine the fear of repeated falls on physical and social activities of people aged 65 and over. In order to determine the set objectives both quantitative and qualitative research methods were necessary to use. The quantitative research was carried out in a form of an own questionnaire and FES-I test with 122 responders. The qualitative part was performed by semi-open interview with five participants. The data obtained in qualitative research were subsequently analyzed by open coding, pencil and paper method. A total of five predetermined hypotheses were statistically processed after the end of data collection. After evaluating the hypotheses, it was found that the level of fear of falling depends on age, but not on gender. An interesting outcome was the fact that level of fear of falling is higher in elderly people living in nursing homes than in people living on their own. It is also important to note that previous experience with a fall affects the level of fear, but hospitalization for injuries caused by a fall does not affect the level of fear of a fall. The research question revealed that older people, after the experience of falling, think more about where their next steps will lead when walking. However, there was no reduction in social activity in the sample of elderly people who have a history of falls. This diploma thesis should draw attention to the issue of falls of older people over the age of 65. Older people are often afraid of falling and therefore limit their daily and physical activities, which on the contrary increases the risk of falling. The elderly people need to understand the risks of falling, both internal and external, and be able to determine the danger of the fall. This requires educating them not only by nurses but also by doctors and other health-care oriented staff.
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