History of falls, mild cognitive impairment, and the presence of home environmental hazards among community-dwelling older persons in District V, Manila

Introduction: It is important to investigate factors that may increase the fall risk in the geriatric population. This study aimed to determine the relationship between: 1) mild cognitive impairments (MCI) and history of falls; 2) home environmental hazards (HEH) and history of falls; and 3) MCI and HEHs among older adults.

Methods: Community-dwelling older persons of District V, Manila were random sampled to participate in this cross-sectional correlational study. The Home Falls and Accidents Screening Tool for Health Professionals (HOMEFAST-HP) and Fall History Questionnaire were used to collect information on the presence of HEH and history of falls, respectively. Chi-Square test was used to determine the relationships between variables.

Results: Thirty-seven (37) older adults, with a mean age of 69.8 + 8.1 years (range = 60-95), 84% female, participated. Majority (78.4%) have MCI. Seven (18.9%) have a history of falls. However, no significant association (p=0.12) exists between MCI and history of falls. About 68.2% of fallers were noted to have HEH, with improper bed (p=.04), inaccessible kitchen items (p=.02) and unidentifiable step edges (pp=.04) and improper bed (p=.01) as HEH reached significant association with MCI.

Discussion: In this study, MCI is not associated with the history of falls. HEH are more common in MCI and fallers, particularly the inaccessible kitchen items, improper bed, loose mats, and unidentifiable edges of steps. Home modifications to address these identified HEH may decrease the fall risk of Filipino older adults with and without MCI. Further investigation using a bigger sample size across different dwelling situations should be considered.