Falls are the leading cause of injury among seniors over age 65 in the U.S. The annual incidence rises from about 30% in seniors age 65 to 50% in those over 80 years old. In Hennepin County, an urban county that includes Minneapolis, falls are the leading cause of injury hospitalization and death among this growing population group. Preventing falls among seniors has emerged as a major public health focus.
Seniors most often fall in their homes, usually from modifiable health-related and environmental risk factors. Falls may be prevented when these risk factors are identified and managed to reduce or remove their adverse influence.
This paper describes how the Hennepin County Community Health Department uses a Geographic Information System (GIS) to integrate, analyze, and display multidisciplinary data about senior falls. Applied to injury prevention, GIS enables epidemiological data about seniors and their fall-related injuries to be linked to characteristics of where the event occurred and any associated environmental risk and protective factors.
In addition to demographic data about seniors, other data obtained for the project include housing characteristics; injury incidence, severity, and outcome; and the availability of health, public health and community-based social services. GIS enables spatial analysis of these data to explore their interrelationships in an attempt to identify seniors at risk of falling and to develop targeted community-based fall injury prevention programs. The resulting maps effectively communicate the epidemiology and opportunities for prevention of this recognized public health problem among an urban senior population.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) will be able to: 1. List data sources to describe seniors, fall risk factors including housing characteristics, fall-related injuries, and fall prevention resources. 2. Describe a Geographic Information System and how it may be used to integrate, analyze, and communicate information about seniors and their fall risk factors and to develop community-based fall prevention programs.
Keywords: Injury Prevention, Geographic Information Systems
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.