Fall risk among home care recipients: The interplay between social activity and home environment
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Falls are a major health risk to home-dwelling older adults. Improved home environments have been suggested as solutions to support independent and socially fulfilling living. This register-based cross-sectional study examined how the interplay between housing conditions and social activity is associated with fall risk among older adults receiving home care. We operationalized social activity as social participation and communicative capacity. Adequacy of home environment was a moderator in modeling the association between social activity and fall risk. We utilized routinely collected Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) data of home care recipients in the Pirkanmaa region, Finland. The participants (N = 5759) were aged 65 years and older (Median = 85 years) and 66% were women. The statistical procedures included factor and regression analyses. Adequate home environment buffered the fall-increasing effects of an individual’s deficiencies in communicative capacity. By improving the safety of the home environment, the fall risk can be decreased also when communicative capacity of the individual has declined. This implication highlights the opportunities of smart home technologies and the internet of health things in supporting home care recipients’ social activity and ensuring safer living conditions. Educational initiatives in gerontology could enhance these efforts by raising awareness about the interplay between communicative capacity, environmental safety, and the potential of smart technologies in promoting older adults’ well-being.
Source: Educational Gerontology
Language: English
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W4414439396