Elderly Diabetics at Double the Risk of Falling
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Diabetic nursing home residents are much more likely to suffer dangerous falls than those without Diabetes, researchers report.
“Our study clearly indicated that nursing homes, assisted living facilities and others that care for the elderly should consider Diabetes a significant risk factor for falling,” researcher Dr. Mathew S. Maurer, assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center and director of the Clinical Cardiovascular Research Laboratory for the Elderly at New York-Presbyterian/The Allen Pavilion, said in a prepared statement.
As reported in the September issue of the Journal of Gerontology, the study of 139 nursing home residents found that 78 percent of those with diabetes fell during the 299-day study period, compared to 30 percent of residents without diabetes. The study was conducted at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, New York.
Falling is the leading cause of accidental death among elderly people in the United States. Previous studies identified gait or balance disorders, vision impairment and medications as risk factors for falls among frail elderly nursing home residents. However, diabetes has not been recognized as an important risk factor.
“In an era of limited resources, knowing that diabetics are more likely to fall may facilitate identifying older individuals who are likely to benefit from interventions aimed at reducing falls and their consequences,” Maurer said.
He said diabetes may increase the risk of falls due to problems with peripheral nerves that can affect sensation in the feet of people with diabetes.
“We will now add diabetes to the list of risk factors for falling and expect this to become standard practice,” Dr. Robert Zorowitz, chief medical officer of the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, said in a prepared statement. “By controlling diabetes, addressing the complications it causes and being vigilant about the other factors that contribute to falls, we may substantially reduce the risk.”
SOURCE: Columbia University, news release, Sept. 23, 2003
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