EQUILÍBRIO E RISCO DE QUEDAS EM IDOSOS QUE RESIDEM NO DOMICÍLIO.

With aging, the elderly population may become more fragile and prone to the occurrence of some unwanted events, such as falls, which are considered a public health problem. Preventing falls in the elderly is a challenge for nurses. One of the most relevant aspects for prevention is the early detection of risk factors, where balance alterations are highlighted. This is a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study aimed at assessing the risk of falls in the elderly residing at home. The target population is elderly people living at home, studying a sample of 77 individuals aged between 65 and 94 years (x2 = 81.32 ± 7.76 years) and 58.4% female. Data collection was obtained through structured interviews and using the Tinetti Test. Most of the elderly (72.7%) live with someone. As to static balance, it was found that the elderly presented more difficulties when they were in the same position with unipodal support (42.9%), or when doing a 360° turn (44.2%). In dynamic balance, most of them kept their balance when assessing the various items. It was verified that 18.2% of the sample has a high risk of falling. The study allowed identifying the situations where the elderly group under study presents a greater imbalance, as well as assessing the risk of falls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]