Prevalence and Characteristics of Falls in Adults with Intellectual Disability Living in a Residential Facility: A Longitudinal Study [PreFallID]
Abstract The objective of our study was to describe the prevalence and characteristics of falls in adults with intellectual disability living in a residential care setting and to define differences between fallers and non-fallers in younger and older resident groups. In contrast to the general population, falls are a problem for both aged and younger adults with intellectual disability living in a residential care setting. Falls of 147 residents, aged between 21-89 years with different grades of ID, were recorded prospectively over a 12 months period using a digital fall report form. For all participants, a total of 140 falls were reported and high fall rates per person-year were found in the younger (0.85) as well as in the older aged residents (1.06).
One disadvantage of no longer taking a problem for granted is that one may begin to appreciate just how difficult the problem is. In a 1992 address to the American Psychological Association, Ralph Reitan indicated that the development of methods for the detection of malingering might require an effort not that different in scope from that required to derive neuropsychological methods for the detection of brain dysfunction. That distressing thought could certainly be viewed as a constructive call to action.