Effects of a Multicomponent Program on Fall Incidence, Fear of Falling, and Quality of Life among Older Adult Nursing Home Residents

BACKGROUND: Falling is one of the most common problems in older adults and can lead to additional health problems. This study aimed to determine the effects of a multicomponent program on fall incidence and quality of life in older adult nursing home residents. METHODS: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest and post-test design. The study population comprised 55 older adults residing in nursing homes. The intervention was a multicomponent program including physical activities, training sessions, and physical environment modifications in nursing homes that was conducted for 8 weeks. The data collection tools included a socio-demographic characteristics form and questionnaires pertaining to the quality of life and fear of falls, which were completed by the participants before and after the intervention. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 68.48 years, and most (90%) were illiterate. We observed a significant difference between the mean number of falls and the scores for fear of falling before and after the intervention (p<0.001). We also observed a significant difference between the total quality of life scores and all of the related dimensions before and after the intervention, indicating that the quality of life of the older adults had improved after the intervention (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that the multicomponent fall prevention program was effective in improving the quality of life, fall rate, and fear of falling among older residents in nursing homes. Further studies are needed to explore the long-term effects of these interventions.