Fear of falling in elderly people living in a nursing home—perspective from Manisa

Our study aimed to determine the level of fear of falling in elderly nursing home residents. The research population consisted of all the elderly residents of Manisa Municipal Nursing Home between November 2011 and February 2012. The 76 elderly people who agreed to participate were included in the study. A demographics formand the Tinetti Falls Efficacy Scale were used in data collection. The statistical analysis of the data was performed using SPSS 15.0, using percentage calculations, the t-test and Cronbach s alpha. The mean score on the Tinetti Falls Efficacy Scale for elderly individuals was found to be 4.57 ± 3.80. 57.9% of the old people feared falling while taking a bath, 59.2%while going to bed or getting up, and 53.6% while sitting down or getting up from a chair. It was found that mean fear of falling scores were significantly higher in elderly individuals with chronic diseases, sleep problems and urinary incontinence.