[The cause of falls in elderly persons].

We surveyed patients with Parkinson's disease living at home and elderly persons in hospital to find out causes of falls. In Parkinson's disease, the number of falls during the previous year increased with the progress of the grade of Hoehn and Yahr stage. The ratio of patients who had fractures due to falls was 0% in stage I & II, 30.2% in stage III, and 36.1% in stage IV. The ratio of patients who attached handrails was 30.1% in Hoehn and Yahr stage III, and 37.1% in stage IV; remodeling of hte bathroom was done in 30.7% and 51.0% remodeling of the laboratory was done in 42.5% and 53.8%, and bed adjustment in 24.3% and 43.8%. To prevent falls, we should advise patients to arrange the surroundings in which they spend the daytime such as their living room or bedroom. From the result of the ratios of patients in hospital who had falls and fractures due to falls, some associated risk factors of falls which could be prevented were found out. The ratio of patients who fell in the morning was reduced by interventions of nurses. The frequency of patients who fell was 41.5% in cerebrovascular disease, 29.5% in dementia, 11.2% in bone and joint disease, and 9.0% in Parkinson's disease, however the frequency in hospitalized patients was 56.9%, 11.3%, 7.3%, 6.3% respectively. Patients who had dementia had a tendency to fall. Further study is needed to help prevent of falls in dementia patients.