The Association of Falls Risk in Older Adults and Their Living Environment: A Case Study of Rural Area, Thailand

Abstract

Falls in older adults have become a serious problem and a major cause of home injuries and even deaths. The increasing number of older people that will enter the “older adults” category in a few years’ time calls for an effective plan to mitigate the risk factors to falling. This article reported on our study of the relationship between living environment hazards and fall risk in older adults to reduce and prevent the risk of falling using a specific case of a rural area in Thailand. A site investigation together with a questionnaire survey were conducted in a total of 950 homes of older people who were interviewed in conjunction with authorities from Banphaeo district of Samutsakorn Province, Thailand. Using a multinomial logistic regression model, this research found the following risk of falls based on the categorizations of the calculated risk factors among socio-economic characteristics (sex, age, marital status, income), health status (congenital diseases), and living environment characteristics (toilet availability in bedroom). The analysis identified a multifactorial relationship involving intrinsic and extrinsic factors that determined fall risk among older adults. Based on the findings of the research, risk factors associated with socioeconomic determinants in term of poverty were found as a key barrier in promoting the health and well-being of older adults. We recommend interventions for fall prevention and fall risk-reduction strategies through improvement of the physical environment in the homes of older adults as a proactive measure to lessen the causes of home injuries from falls.