Preventing and managing indoor falls with home-based technologies in mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease patients: pilot study in a community dwelling.
BACKGROUND
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is known to increase the risk of falls. We aim to determine the effectiveness of home-based technologies coupled with teleassistance service (HBTec-TS) in older people with AD.


METHODS
A study of falls and the HBTec-TS system (with a light path combined with a teleassistance service) was conducted in the community. The 96 subjects, drawn from a random population of frail elderly people registered as receiving an allocation for lost autonomy from the county, were aged 65 or more and had mild-to-moderate AD with 1 year of follow-up; 49 were in the intervention group and 47 in the control group.


RESULTS
A total of 16 (32.7%) elderly people fell in the group with HBTec-TS versus 30 (63.8%) in the group without HBTec-TS. The use of HBTec-TS was significantly associated with a reduction in the number of indoor falls among elderly people with mild-to-moderate AD (OR = 0.37, 95% CI = 0.15-0.88, p = 0.0245).


CONCLUSIONS
The use of the HBTec-TS significantly reduced the incidence of primary indoor falling needing GP intervention or attendance at an emergency room among elderly people with AD and mild-to-moderate dementia.
Service de Médecine Interne Gériatrique, Pôle de Personnes Âgées et Soins à Domicile, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Limoges, Limoges, France.
Achille E
AE
Tchalla
Florent
F
Lachal
Noëlle
N
Cardinaud
Isabelle
I
Saulnier
Vincent
V
Rialle
Pierre-Marie
PM
Preux
Thierry
T
Dantoine
D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D010820:Physicians; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018401:Sample Size; D012947:Social Work; D013672:Technology; D013685:Telecommunications; D016896:Treatment Outcome