Falls in a community of older adults: findings and implications for practice

The purpose of this study was to describe the falls that occurred over a 5-year period in a group of older adults living in a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) and to test two models, one mediating whether or not the individual fell and the second the number of falls the individual experienced. Of the 312 participants, 177 (57%) residents experienced at least one fall. There were a total of 594 falls with the mean number of falls per person being 1.9 (SD = 3.0), and the range of falls from 1 to 19. Age, gender, and neurologic disease significantly influenced whether or not a fall occurred. Mental health, regular use of alcohol, and neurologic problems all significantly influenced the number of falls that occurred.