Effectiveness of a Falling Prevention Program for Elderly in Elderly school, Tambon Napong, Thoen District, Lampang Province

Abstract

This Quasi-experimental research aimed to study the effectiveness of a falling prevention program for elderly in elderly school, Tambon Napong, Thoen district, Lampang province. There were 44 elderly people at risk of falling who were selected by purposive sampling. The research tools included the fall prevention program, a general questionnaire, a knowledge and behaviors assessment, a fall risk assessment. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the Paired sample t-test.

The results founded that most of the participants were female, aged 60-70 years (84.09%), had history of falling (43.20%), in the 6 months during the evaluation period there was history of falling 2 or more times (34.10%). Most of them fell outside the house during the daytime (27.30%) because of the objects blocking the walkway (20.50%). The elderly's knowledge and behavior in each item have improved in the fall prevention program. In the terms of knowledge, it includes elderly people who have vision problems, balance or being in an area with insufficient light is at risk of falling easily, and behavioral aspects of behavior include gentle exercise to strengthen your muscles, kept home's equipment in order, and took caution when entering buildings with uneven floors or dim lighting. Comparing the average scores of knowledges, behavior, and falls prevention risks among the elderly, it was found that the mean scores of knowledges, behaviors, and risk factors for falls were significantly higher after the fall prevention program than before the program (p< .001). Therefore, the falling prevention program should be used to promote and care for the elderly in schools of the elderly and nearby areas.