Falls in older people: comparing older and younger fallers in a developing country

PURPOSE: While falls are common in older people, causing significant mortality and morbidity, this phenomenon has not been extensively studied in the Caribbean. This study aimed to compare falls in older and younger people in this setting. METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study of older trauma patients in Trinidad, comparing older and younger patients sustaining falls. RESULTS: 1432 adult trauma patients were included (1141 aged 18–64 years and 291 aged 65 years and older). Older fallers were more likely to be female (66.7 vs 47.2%; p < 0.001), suffer from multiple pre-existing diseases (24.7 vs 2.4%; p < 0.001) and take multiple medications (16.1 vs 0.8%; p < 0.001). They also sustained more severe injuries and presented with higher acuity than younger fallers. Admission rates were higher among older fallers (29.9 vs 13.1%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In our study, older patients who fell were a distinct group from younger falls victims, with unique demographic, clinical and injury related characteristics. Their increased risk of injury within the home, coupled with their propensity for more severe injuries made them a high risk patient group. More research is needed to better understand this patient group and plan specific preventive interventions. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00068-017-0818-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.