A DAY-TO-DAY ACTION: THE PREVALENCE OF CHAIR FALLS IN THE ELDERLY IN BRAZIL

• DOI: 10.22533/at.ed.1593152306039

• Palavras-chave: Aging, Elderly, Falls, Falls from a chair,

• Keywords: Aging, Elderly, Falls, Falls from a chair,

• Abstract:

  Introduction: Aging is the natural process of human development that begins at birth. In the first years there is an increase in strength and autonomy and at the end of life this tends to decrease. With the loss of strength, many elderly people are subject to falls and the negative consequences of the impact they have on the quality of life of these individuals are countless. Goal: To describe the epidemiological profile of hospitalizations due to falling from a chair in Brazil between 2008 and 2022, as well as to understand the measures implemented to combat this situation. Methodology: This is a descriptive observational study, whose data were collected by the DataSUS platform. The collection started from the Hospital Information System (SIH), through hospital morbidity data by place of hospitalization between January 2008 and December 2022 through the disease category: chair falls CID 10 - W07 in elderly people in the Brazil. Results and discussion: In Brazil, 4,157 seniors fell from chairs in recent years. The highest prevalence was in females, however, the highest mortality rate is in males, increasing with age. Furthermore, the average length of hospital stay in the elderly increases with age, from 5.4 days in those aged 60 to 64 years to 7.8 days in those aged over 80 years. Although age is considered a risk factor for falls, when comparing the prevalence of falling from a chair, there was no significant difference when comparing the age groups every five years in the number of hospitalizations. Conclusion:In addition to the physical consequences, falls can affect the mental health of the elderly, leading to fear of falling again and even not carrying out daily activities. Among the consequences observed after a fall in the elderly are the fear of falling again, dependence to perform activities of daily living, loss of autonomy and depression/isolation. Thus, preventing falls and encouraging healthy habits is the best prevention alternative.