Falls efficacy among stroke survivors living in the community

Abstract

Purpose. The study focused on the falls efficacy of stroke survivors in the community and its association with the related factors. Method. The study was conducted through a cross-sectional design in the community setting. One hundred and seven stroke survivors were recruited. Falls efficacy was measured by the 7-item Falls Efficacy Scale International version, where the higher mean score showed more concern about falling in daily life. Results. Activities of daily living (ADLs) dependency levels, including mild, moderate and severe, contributed to 33.5% of the explained variance. Women were over 7.5 times more likely to have high falls efficacy than men. Moderate and severe ADLs dependency participants were 10.8 and 13.6 times more likely to have high falls efficacy than ADLs independent participants. Single fall participants were also nearly 13 times more likely to have high falls efficacy than others who had either recurrent falls or no falls. Conclusions. Female gender, strong ADLs dependency, and single falls were associated with high falls efficacy. The levels of ADLs dependency were the most correlated with falls efficacy than with other related factors. Rehabilitation interventions should also be incorporated to minimize ADLs dependency, and to improve falls efficacy for stroke survIvors.

Falls and Fear of Falling After Stroke: A Case‐Control Study

“…A higher total score indicates a greater concern for falling. The FES‐I has been tested in persons with stroke [16]. A cut‐off score of 27 points on the 16‐item FES‐I was used to differentiate high concern for falling from low concern [26].…”

“…The relationship between fear of falling and falls appears controversial. Previous studies have demonstrated that patients with a history of falling often reported greater concern for falling [5,15,16]. However, Friedman et al [17] showed that fall status at the acute phase did not predict development of fear of falling measured at 20 months [17].…”

Moderating Effects of Informal Care on the Relationship Between ADL Limitations and Adverse Outcomes in Stroke Survivors

“…Stroke survivors have been plagued with adverse outcomes after returning home, including falls, 4 hospitalizations, 5 or physical function decline. 6 Navigating these adverse outcomes has burdened their family caregivers.…”

“…1,2 Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability and reduces mobility in more than half of stroke survivors ≥65 years of age. 2 Stroke survivors with limitations in activities of daily living (ADL), such as going outside, moving around the house, getting in and out of bed, toileting, and dressing, are at a greater risk of experiencing adverse outcomes, 3 including falls, 4 hospitalizations, 5 and physical function decline, 6 relative to those without ADL limitations. These findings agree with studies documenting the positive relationship between poor physical function/ADL limitations and adverse outcomes in older adults.…”

Association Between Falling and Activities of Daily Living Measured by the Longshi Scale in Patients Poststroke

“…However, Wei et al37 reported that the occurrence of falls is linearly associated with patients' ADL evaluated with FIM, and when the FIM score increased by 1 point, the fall risk decreased by 10%. Tsai et al38 also suggested that moderate and severe ADL dependency has a higher fall risk than ADL independent patients who have suffered a stroke in the community. These differences may be due to the different study populations and settings or the different ADL assessment scales used.…”