Perception of elderly related to the risk of falls and their associated factors

Interactive gerontechnology for fall prevention in the elderly: a descriptive study

OBJECTIVES

to develop interactive gerontechnology for the prevention of falls in the elderly at home.

METHODS

an exploratory and descriptive study that consisted of gerontechnology development and evaluation by experts and the target audience. For evaluation, researchers used the Agreement Index (AI), considering values greater than 80%.

RESULTS

the three-dimensional virtual scale model was elaborated through the SketchUp program, with the distribution of rooms and floors, constituting Prototype 1 (P1). Fifty-four judges evaluated the P1, and all presented agreement above the established, with a minimum AI of 88% and a maximum of 100%, producing Prototype 2 (P2). Thirty elderly participants from a philanthropic institution evaluated Prototype 2. On all items, AI ranged from 83% a 100%, resulting in the final version.

CONCLUSIONS

the product of this research reveals itself as an innovative and scientifically based tool aimed at preventing falls in the elderly.

Effectiveness of an educational video in older adults' perception about falling risks: a randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE

to assess the effectiveness of using an educational video in comparison with verbal nursing guidelines in increasing older adults' perception of falling risks.

METHOD

this is a randomized clinical trial in a cluster, with 138 community older adults, randomized into an intervention group, which watched an educational video, and a control group, which received verbal instructions. The perception of falling risks was assessed by FRAQ-Brazil in the pre-test and after a 30-day follow-up. Student's t-test was used for dependent samples to compare intragroup means and for independent samples to compare intergroup means. The effect size was determined by Cohen's d.

RESULTS

in the intragroup analysis, intervention and control groups had an increase in perception, with a statistically significant difference between pre-and post-tests. In the intergroup analysis, the control group showed a greater increase in the perception of falling risks in relation to the intervention group (p = 0.013), with Cohen's d of small effect.

CONCLUSION

the use of an educational video and verbal instructions increased older adults' perception of falling risks, with better results in the control group. However, the effect size was small. RBR-8nfggd.