Psychosocial consequences of falling: the perspective of older Hong Kong Chinese who had experienced recent falls.
Semi-structured interviews using a tape recorder were conducted for this study with 20 older Chinese people who had fallen recently. The analysis of the interview transcripts revealed three major psychosocial consequences of falling: powerlessness, fear and seeking care. Concern shown by relatives was very important to the informants. This concern was often expressed through the gift of home-cooked food. As one older person said, 'My granddaughter loves me very much. She brought some chicken essence and birds' nests for me to eat. I am really better after eating them'. Suggestions are given for culturally appropriate supportive interventions. 42 references.