Fall is one of the most serious consequences of aging, being recognized as an important public health problem. The research aimed to investigate aspects related to occurrence of falls in older adults. Fifty elderly residents of the neighborhood Cidade 2000, in Fortaleza, Ceará state, participated in the study, 64% were female. For data collection a questionnaire was used. It was observed that 42% of seniors had at least one fall in the last two years, 19% of these were between 60 and 69 years, 24% between 70 and 79 years and 57% between 80 and 89 years. The causes were mainly related to inadequate home environment (57%). Among the factors related to the domestic environment, the most often cited was the existence of slippery surfaces (33%). Most participants (80%) used some type of medication prescribed by doctors, and antihypertensive drugs were used by 42% of the group. The most common consequence of falls was the fracture, indicated by 43% of elderly the radius fracture was the most frequent (56%). Other consequences mentioned were head trauma (19%), depression (19%) and anxiety (19%); 33% of elderly victims of falls required hospitalization. The survey found that 60% of the group reported regular physical activity and 90% of elderly people who had falls were sedentary. We conclude that falls can be understood as events that may in part be avoided by adopting simple preventive measures and programs.
Aged; Accidental Falls; Health of the Elderly External Causes
