Quedas em idosos de instituições de longa permanência – um enfoque da terapia ocupacional

Abstract

The objective of this research was to characterize the elderly who suffer falls from residences in Long Stay Institutions for the Elderly (LSIE), in the municipality of Santa Maria, as well as the architectural barriers that exist in these places. The sample consisted of 41 elderly people living in three LSIE, 24 female and 17 male, ranging in age from 61 to 94 years and with up to 46 years of institutionalization. The inclusion criteria were: to be 60 years of age or older; have been residing in LSIE for more than one year and be able to respond to the questionnaires (do not present severe cognitive impairment). To evaluate the level of dementia of the elderly the Mini-Exam of the Mental State was used. With the elderly who did not present dementia or mild dementia, a sociodemographic questionnaire was applied, followed by the Katz Functionality Index and the Berg Balance Scale. Considering the Functionality Index Katz half of the elderly is independent in four or less Activities of Daily Living. Concerning the Berg Balance Scale it was realized that the balance is not the main cause of the falls. 50% of the participants dropped at least three times on LBPI and the majority of these subjects reported post-fall problems. These falls had no correlation with age nor with the time of institutionalization. In the architectural evaluation can be noticed some positive aspects as: anti-slip floors, good lighting, close to beds, accents of elevated toilets, among others. Already, the negative aspects were found: little lighting, badly distributed carpets, slopes with inadequate slope, smooth floors, among others. It can be noticed that there is correlation between the number of falls and the functionality, that is, the more the elderly falls, the more affected is the functionality of this subject. Regarding the balance, there was no correlation. The balance is not the main factor of falls among these elderly, with that, it is emphasized that one of the factors that can influence the falls are the architectural barriers. It is important to emphasize the importance of environmental evaluations for the prevention of falls, consequently, a reduction of expenses for LSIE due to disabled elderly due to falls.