Fall risk and the frailty syndrome in older adults

Objective: To analyze fall risk and its relationship with the frailty syndrome and sociodemographic variables in older adults. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, analytical and multicenter study, carried out in two university hospitals, from August 2019 to January 2020, with 323 older adults, using the Brazil Old Age Schedule (BOAS), for sociodemographic characterization, the Morse Fall Scale (MFS), to define fall risk, and the Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS), to identify the frailty syndrome. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: There was an association between fall risk and older adults aged over 70 years, with more than four preexisting diseases, without work activity, with cognitive impairment, poor general health status, with functional dependence in five to eight activities, using five or more medications, with weight loss, low functional performance, sad or depressed mood and with the installed frailty syndrome. Older adults who live alone, aged over 70 years, who have four or more previous illnesses, with functional dependence, depressed mood, who perform the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test in a time longer than 20 seconds, who use five or more medications per day and who forget to use these medications are more likely to fall at risk. Conclusion: Factors related to the decline of physical, psychological and mental functions in older adults, which are exacerbated in the frailty syndrome, increase fall risk in this population.