Seniors with chronic conditions fell and required emergency transport up to 54 percent more often than their peers with no chronic conditions, according to a new study from Philips.
In fact, even patients with chronic diseases unrelated to mobility limitations or frailty, such as COPD, diabetes or mental conditions, recorded higher instances of falling.
Philips’ researchers conducted the retrospective study by analyzing the records of 145,000 seniors equipped with a standard Philips Lifeline medical alert service or a medical alert service with AutoAlert — which includes automatic fall detection — between January 2012 and June 2014.
In the United States, one in three seniors fall each year, and approximately 75 percent of healthcare costs are spent on chronic disease. Philips conducted the study, because understanding the fall risk associated with seniors, especially those living with chronic conditions, could assist in fall prevention and speed response. Also, prompt care would likely lead to improved outcomes and better cost management related to direct medical assistance.
“While conditions like Parkinson’s disease and osteoporosis are more obviously tied to falls, we’re learning that other common chronic diseases, like diabetes and COPD, have a direct correlation to increased frailty and falls,” said Kimberly O’Loughlin, senior vice president and general manager of Home Monitoring for Philips. “As we use better, more personal information, we will be able to do an increasingly better job of keeping our loved ones safer and healthier in their homes.”
Among Philips’ Lifeline HomeSafe with AutoAlert users, seniors who self-reported suffering from three chronic conditions had 15 percent more falls that required hospital transport, and those with five or more conditions had 40 percent more falls than those with no chronic conditions. Within the study population, 72 percent reported having one or more chronic conditions, with 20 percent reporting five or more.
The data shows that seniors saw an increased likelihood of falls and needed hospital transport when suffering these chronic conditions:
- Cognitive impairment grew by 54 percent.
- COPD increased 42 percent.
- Diabetes notched up 30 percent.
- Heart condition rose by 29 percent.
