Falls Screening in Community- Dwelling Older Adults
Abstract
Falls screening can prevent falls and their consequences. The two studies of this thesis aimed to identify the accuracy of falls screening tools and explore patient preferences and empirical validity of the self-rated Falls Risk Questionnaire (FRQ). The first study, Systematic Literature Review, found the Toulouse-St. Louis University Mini Falls Assessment and the Activities-specific Balance Confidence scale Hindi version emerged as accurate tools for predicting falls in the target population. The second study determined most of respondents, 36%, had no preference between Activities Specific Balance Confidence 6 items (ABC-6) or FRQ. The Bland & Altman approach revealed a degree of agreement between the FRQ and ABC-6. Furthermore, respondents with a history of falls had substantially lower FRQ and ABC-6 scores than non-fallers. Findings of this thesis can be used to support the use of the FRQ that the CDC and several health institutes recommend for falls screening in older adults.