@article {7929, title = {Fall-associated difficulty with activities of daily living in functionally independent individuals aged 65 to 69 in the United States: a cohort study.}, journal = {J Am Geriatr Soc}, volume = {61}, year = {2013}, month = {2013 Jan}, pages = {96-100}, publisher = {61}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether falling would be a marker for future difficulty with activities of daily (ADLs) that would vary according to fall frequency and associated injury.

DESIGN: Longitudinal analysis.

SETTING: Community.

PARTICIPANTS: Nationally representative cohort of 2,020 community-living, functionally independent older adults aged 65 to 69 at baseline followed from 1998 to 2008.

MEASUREMENTS: ADL difficulty.

RESULTS: Experiencing one fall with injury (odds ratio (OR) = 1.78, 95\% confidence interval (CI) = 1.29-2.48), at least two falls without injury (OR = 2.36, 95\% CI = 1.80-3.09), or at least two falls with at least one injury (OR = 3.75, 95\% CI = 2.55-5.53) in the prior 2 years was independently associated with higher rates of ADL difficulty after adjustment for sociodemographic, behavioral, and clinical covariates.

CONCLUSION: Falling is an important marker for future ADL difficulty in younger, functionally independent older adults. Individuals who fall frequently or report injury are at highest risk.

}, keywords = {Accidental Falls, Activities of Daily Living, Aged, Aging, Disability Evaluation, Disabled Persons, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Geriatric Assessment, Health Status, Humans, Male, Odds Ratio, Retrospective Studies, Risk Factors, United States, Wounds and Injuries}, issn = {1532-5415}, doi = {10.1111/jgs.12071}, author = {Nishant K. Sekaran and Choi, Hwajung and Rodney A. Hayward and Kenneth M. Langa} }