Carers' concern for older people falling at home: an integrative review.

Author: Seng Giap Marcus ANG ¹ ; Anthony Paul O'BRIEN ² ; Amanda WILSON ²
Author Information

1. School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia.
2. School of Nursing and Midwifery, Faculty of Health and Medicine, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia.
Publication Type:Journal Article
Keywords: carers; fall concern; fall prevention; integrative review; older people
From:Singapore medical journal 2020;61(5):272-280
CountrySingapore
Language:English
Abstract: Falls, the leading cause of injury and death among older people, can have a significant psychosocial impact on carers. Carers play a crucial role in caring for older persons at home and in fall prevention. This review, which included 15 studies, aimed to identify carers' concern about older people falling and its impact. We identified that most carers had concerns about repeated falls in older people, unknown consequences of falls and care recipients' non-adherence to fall prevention advice. These concerns, in turn, affect carers' physical and psychological health, lifestyle, caregiving burden and use of fall prevention strategies. This paper highlights the importance of recognising carers' fall concern so as to identify carers' needs and awareness of fall prevention in older people living at home. Greater insight into carers' fall concern could facilitate the implementation of new strategies to manage older people's fall risk as well as improve carers' well-being.