Image of senior man wincing in pain beside his walking cane after falling on the floor of his room in an assisted living home
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Nursing home workers should consider depression as a risk factor for resident falls, authors of a new study say.
Depression is already reported as an independent risk factor for falls. In fact, it can increase the risk for falls in the future as well, the authors wrote in a Nov. 28 report published in Interactive Journal of Medical Research.
For the report, authors reviewed seven studies that were published in seven countries. Results showed that depressive symptoms and falls among older adults were common in nursing homes.
Some 86% of studies reported that there was an association between depression and falls, or the risk of falling. Depression in nursing home residents ranged from 21.5% to 47.7%, and the prevalence of falls in nursing home residents varied from 17.2% to 63.1%.
Of 19 risk factors other than depression that were linked to falls in nursing home residents, having a history of a fall within the past 180 days, more than one fall in the past year and respiratory illnesses were the most prominent.
Older adults with depression can have a higher risk for falling due to behavioral, neuromuscular or pathological pathways. Depressed residents may be less active than those who aren’t experiencing depression. The reduced self-efficacy and negative outlook in people with depression who fall regularly can cause them to participate less socially, too, the authors noted.
Medication may help depression, but it can also raise the risk for falls, the team added.
“Depression is a highly prevalent psychopathological condition among older adults, particularly those institutionalized in nursing homes,” the authors wrote, noting that healthcare professionals don’t always identify it. Nursing home residents are twice as likely to fall as older adults living at home, the authors pointed out.
Depression and its symptoms should be addressed and assessed in order to implement preventive measures, the authors added.