title: Prospective study on risk factors for falling in elderly persons with mild to moderate intellectual disabilities.
abstract: Elderly persons with intellectual disabilities (ID) are at increased risk for falls and fall-related injuries. Although there has been extensive research on risk factors for falling in the general elderly population, research on this topic in persons with ID is rather sparse. This is the first study to prospective investigate risk factors for falling among elderly persons with mild to moderate ID. Seventy-eight ambulatory persons with mild to moderate ID (mean age 62.8 ± 7.6 years; 44 (56%) men; 34 (44%) mild ID) participated in this study. This longitudinal cohort study involved extensive baseline assessments, followed by a one-year follow-up on fall incidents. Falls occurred in 46% of the participants and the fall rate was 1.00 falls per person per year. The most important risk factors for falling in elderly persons with mild to moderate ID were (mild) severity of ID, (high) physical activity, (good) visuo-motor capacity, (good) attentional focus and (high) hyperactivity-impulsiveness, which together explained 56% of the fall risk. This pattern of risk factors identified suggests a complex interplay of personal and environmental factors in the aetiology of falls in elderly persons with ID. We recommend further research on the development of multifactorial screening procedures and individually tailored interventions to prevent falling in persons with ID.
authors.affiliation: Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen Centre for Evidence Based Practice, Department of Rehabilitation, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: l.enkelaar@reval.umcn.nl.
authors.forename: Lotte
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Enkelaar
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Smulders
authors.forename: Henny
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: van Schrojenstein Lantman-de Valk
authors.forename: Vivian
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Weerdesteyn
authors.forename: Alexander C H
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Geurts
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001288:Attention; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004779:Environment Design; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
keywords: Falling; Intellectual disabilities; Prospective study; Risk factors