Perception and Preventive Measures of Falls among Rural Elderly Population in Ahmednagar (India) - An Observational Study

Background: Falls is major problem in geriatric population. In India, the main cause for incidence of falls is due to the lack of knowledge regarding falls and its prevention strategies. There are no enough studies that have fully covered perception of falls and its consequences among elderly Indian population. Objectives: 1. To determine the level of knowledge about falls.2. To provide the information about risk factors of falls and prevention strategies.3. To provide information about role of physiotherapy in prevention of falls. Materials and Method: An observational study was conducted on 100 participants aged above 60 years of age including both male and female in different villages of Ahmednagar district. A self-structured validated questionnaire containing 10 dichotomous answers covering all aspects of awareness and prevention related to falls was administered. Result: Graph Pad 8 software used for analysis. Descriptive statistics was carried out based on the responses from the participants.96 % of population was not completely aware but, in someway, or other they were and 4 % of population was not aware of falls in any ways. Conclusion: Although the awareness about falls and its risk factors in geriatric population was there up to some extent as compared to those who were not aware about falls in any means, some gaps in knowledge still exist.