Aleksandra Zecevic, University of Western Ontario

Defining a Fall and Reasons for Falling: Comparisons Among the Views of Seniors, Health Care Providers, and the Research Literature

For many seniors, an increase in age means an increase in likelihood of falls; approximately one third of seniors living in a community setting fall every year. The cost of injury from these falls is estimated at $927 million in Ontario alone. With her research, Dr. Zecevic wanted to find out if seniors, health professionals and researchers had similar definitions of the term 'fall', and whether they listed the same causes of falling.

Along with her colleagues, Dr. Zecevic recruited a group of volunteers (82% were seniors) to conduct telephone surveys with 477 older adults. Participants were asked to define the term "fall" and give reasons as to why falls may occur. They also interviewed 31 health care professionals and reviewed 30 definitions of the term "fall" used in research reports.

The results showed that seniors, health care providers and researchers used different language and gave a different meaning to the term "fall". The researchers recommended that the term be defined in words that are comprehensive to all audiences and that the definition be published and/or explained in every communication with a patient - in prevention programs, educational materials and research publications.

This study was decisive in Dr. Zecevic's understanding of the importance of including seniors as stakeholders in the creation of knowledge. Dr. Zecevic plans to continue this collaboration in the future.

In July 2006, Dr. Zecevic became an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Western Ontario. She teaches courses in Health and Aging and works on research projects related to the reduction of falls and improvement of safety for hospitals patients and for seniors living in the community.