Measures of Impairment and Activity Limitation Associated with Falls In Ambulatory Nursing Home Residents

Background: The majority of fall risk data is collected from the community-dwelling population, which is not representative of geriatric sub-populations. Few publications are available exclusively studying falls and risk factors within specific sub-populations. The purpose of this study is to assess which measures of impairment and activity limitation are associated with increased number of past falls within nursing home residents. Methods: In this retrospective correlational study, ambulatory nursing home residents (N=17; 83.7 ± 11.71 years) were recruited from local nursing home facilities. Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), gait speed (GS), lower extremity manual muscle testing (MMT), ankle plantar flexion/dorsiflexion (DF) active range of motion (AROM), hand grip strength, Timed Up and Go (TUG), 5 Times Sit-to-Stand (5TSTS), and assistive device (AD) assessment were recorded in a single visit along with gender, marital status, ethnicity, age, and number of oral medications and active diagnoses. Results: Pearson’s r correlations were calculated with the measures of impairment and fall history in the past 6 months. A moderate correlation existed between increased number of falls and the following measures: 5TSTS (0.585, p=0.007), TUG (0.475, p=0.027), and GS (0.457, p=0.032), right DF AROM (-0.436, p=0.040), and right DF strength (-0.504, p=0.023). The 5TSTS was significantly correlated to past falls at p