Sensitivity and False Alarm Rate of a Fall Sensor in Long-Term Fall Detection in the Elderly

The total elderly population aged 70 years or over living in five rural districts in northern Finland, 1159 persons in all, were monitored by 'phone prospectively for 1 year, all falls being recorded separately for those living at home and in institutions. Of those living at home, 30% fell at least once during the year, 19% just once, this proportion not depending on age or sex. The home-dwelling men and women experienced 368/1000 PY and 611/1000 PY falls, respectively, the incidences tending to increase with advancing age. The men in institutions experienced 2021 falls/1000 PY and the women 1423/1000 PY, without clear age dependence. The home-dwelling women had a greater risk of falling repeatedly than the men, but the sex differences disappeared with advancing age. The falls among home-dwellers were concentrated in the day-time, whereas no variation with time of day was found in the institutions. Falls are common in the elderly, but their incidence and certain characteristics differ considerably between the home-dwellers and those living in institutions.