RISK OF FALL AND USE OF MEDICATION IN ELDERLY

Abstract

Introduction: with the progressive increase in the number of elderly people in the world population, there is growing concern about factors that condition deteriorated aging, and among these factors, it is observed that the fall and the use of medication presents itself as a totally unfavorable event, bringing negative repercussions. Objective: to verify the prevalence of falls and use of medication in elderly residents in the community. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional and descriptive quantitative study of 66 elderly people enrolled in the CAE II Basic Health Unit, in the city of Vitória da Conquista, Bahia. A questionnaire composed of sociodemographic data was applied, plus a mini-mental status examination and Downton's Fall risk score scale. The data were tabulated and analyzed in the statistical program SPSS 21.0, and the absolute and relative frequencies of all variables were verified. Results: it was identified that the majority of the elderly were female (65.2%), suffered episodes of previous falls (60.8%) and used at least one medication (72.7%). Conclusion: it is concluded that the prevalence of fall and use of drugs in the elderly population is high, and it is necessary to seek alternatives to reduce this prevalence through preventive measures and improvement in the health care of the elderly.