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JFSF Vol 10, No 1, March 2025, p.48-53

doi: 10.22540/JFSF-10-048

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Short Communication

Assessing Falls Efficacy in Seniors: Important Insights in Hospital and Community Settings

Shawn Leng Hsien Soh1, Hazel Xu Teng Ting2, Jia Ying Ho1, Shi Lin Tan3, Geetha Kayambu4, Kimberly Chrystal Geok Khim Koh1, Lian Leng Low5, Cheryl Yan Fang Tan5

  1. Health and Social Sciences Cluster, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore
  2. Rehabilitation Department, Yishun Community Hospital, Singapore
  3. Rehabilitation Department, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore
  4. Rehabilitation Department, National University Hospital, Singapore
  5. Outram Community Hospital, SingHealth Community Hospitals, Singapore

Keywords: Balance confidence, Concerns about falling, Falls efficacy, Falls prevention, Older people

Abstract

Falls efficacy is an important psychological construct in falls prevention and management. It refers to an individual’s perceived physical ability to prevent and manage falls. Despite its significance, falls efficacy remains under-researched. This article highlights three findings to encourage clinical practitioners to integrate falls efficacy assessments into practice for hospitalised and community-dwelling seniors. Hospitalised seniors face reduced mobility and deconditioning, significantly lowering falls efficacy. Conversely, community-dwelling seniors exhibit higher falls efficacy due to greater functioning levels and independence, though some may lack the physical capacity to mitigate falls. Differentiating between domains of falls efficacy is crucial, as confidence expressed by individuals in their specific physical abilities may vary. Seniors displaying discordance between their confidence and actual falls risk may be more vulnerable to falls. Our analysis reveals that 45% of hospitalised seniors and 19% of community-dwelling seniors exhibited such discordance. Incorporating falls efficacy assessments into clinical practice can help identify at-risk individuals, enable personalised interventions, and facilitate safer transitions post-discharge. Understanding the interplay between psychological and physical dimensions of falls risk is essential for improving older adults’ quality of life and independence.
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