An examination of fall risk assessment indices for home-visit rehabilitation user

<p>Objective: This study investigated the relationship between falls and home-based physical function assessment methods to improve fall risk assessment for home-visit rehabilitation users.</p><p>Methods: This cross-sectional study examined 88 older adults requiring support and nursing care. The participants were divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of a fall history over the past 1 year. An intergroup comparison was performed using the medical records, as well as the physical function assessments (grip strength, SS-5, one-leg standing time with eyes open) and FRI-21, and the relationships thereof were analyzed. For the physical function assessments, cutoff values were determined for the groups with and without a fall history, and odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.</p><p>Results: The group with a fall history had significantly lower physical function, as well as a higher FRI-21, than the group without a fall history. The cutoff value and odds ratio for grip strength were 17.50 kg and 3.95 (95%CI, 1.56-10.00), respectively; for SS-5 time were 18.38 s and 8.17 s (95%CI, 2.74-24.38), respectively; and for one-leg standing time with eyes open were 5.58 s and 4.60 s (95%CI, 0.88-23.94), respectively.</p><p>Conclusion: A physical function assessment performed at home for home-visit rehabilitation users was associated with a history of falls, suggesting that it may serve as an index for assessing fall risk.</p>