Polypharmacy Is Related to Higher Falls Risk in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Description/Abstract/Artist Statement
Elderly falls remain prevalent and were the leading cause of injury-related death for this population in 2020. This study examined the relationship between prescribed number of medications, simple reaction time (SRT), falls risk and self-reported falls. The recruited participants (n= 334, mean age = 70.8 ± 7.99 years, 65.3% female) completed a long-form Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA) as part of a community falls risk assessment program, including two measures of SRT. Fallscreen software generated a falls risk z-score normalized to the participant’s age and gender. Average fall occurrences were reported at 1.2 per participant in the past year, with 58.1% of participants reporting at least one fall within the same time frame. The average number of daily medications reported was 6.4. Data analysis revealed medication quantity to have a weak, positive, significant correlation with hand SRT (r = .083, p =.030), foot SRT (r =.107, p = .005), fall risk score (r =.180, p
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Brittany Samulski
Faculty Advisor/Mentor Department
Rehabilitation Sciences
College Affiliation
College of Health Sciences
Presentation Type
Poster
Disciplines
Physical Therapy
Session Title
Poster Session
Location
Learning Commons Lobby @ Perry Library
Start Date
3-30-2024 8:30 AM
End Date
3-30-2024 10:00 AM
Polypharmacy Is Related to Higher Falls Risk in Community-Dwelling Older Adults
Learning Commons Lobby @ Perry Library
Elderly falls remain prevalent and were the leading cause of injury-related death for this population in 2020. This study examined the relationship between prescribed number of medications, simple reaction time (SRT), falls risk and self-reported falls. The recruited participants (n= 334, mean age = 70.8 ± 7.99 years, 65.3% female) completed a long-form Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA) as part of a community falls risk assessment program, including two measures of SRT. Fallscreen software generated a falls risk z-score normalized to the participant’s age and gender. Average fall occurrences were reported at 1.2 per participant in the past year, with 58.1% of participants reporting at least one fall within the same time frame. The average number of daily medications reported was 6.4. Data analysis revealed medication quantity to have a weak, positive, significant correlation with hand SRT (r = .083, p =.030), foot SRT (r =.107, p = .005), fall risk score (r =.180, p