Aspects related to falls and balance of elderly residents in a care system

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate certain conditions such as balance and functional mobility and the prevalence of falls and related factors in the elderly who are admitted to a health care system and who are undergoing rehabilitation. Method: We carried out a cross- sectional study of individuals over 65 belonging to our hospital. The timed up and go test and the Tinetti scale were performed in those who were able to walk with or without assistance. Results: In this study, 32 elderly (79.9 +/- 8.2) years, 14 of whom had no ability to walk. Regarding the time of up and go test, the average was 45.07+/-28.l8seconds, and 8.8+/-8.1 points for Tinetti scale. Of the 28 subjects with medical conditions, 22 had hypertension. In this study, 80% of subjects had fallen and half of the admissions were caused by falls. The main reasons for institutionalization were stroke and femur fractures. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of falls among the elderly in a health care system. Many of those admitted were because of falls, these basically caused by lack of balance.