title: Falls and fall-related injuries associated with function-focused care.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to describe falls and injuries within assisted living (AL) communities and determine whether a function-focused care (FFC) intervention increased the risk of falls and/or injuries. This was a secondary data analysis using data from a 12-month cluster-randomized controlled trial in which four AL communities were matched based on ownership and randomly assigned to treatment (FFC-AL) or attention control (FFC--education only). Demographic information and information on comorbidities, falls, and consequences postfall, ability to ambulate 50 yards, gait and balance, cognition, person-environment fit, and medication use were collected. Logistic regression was used to test the hypotheses. Exposure to FFC-AL did not result in an increased likelihood of falling (Wald = 0.01, p = .96) or sustaining an injury (B = 0.42, Wald = 0.88, p = .35). The study findings supported prior research findings supporting the safety of interventions that optimize function and encourage physical activity among older adults.
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA. resnick@son.umaryland.edu
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Resnick
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Galik
authors.forename: Ann L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Gruber-Baldini
authors.forename: Sheryl
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D040561:Assisted Living Facilities / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005851:Geriatric Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D018802:Patient-Centered Care; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*