Aim: Identify groups of people living with dementia by risk factor profiles to determine if certain groups have greater risks of experiencing first hospitalised falls and severe outcomes following a fall.
Methods: Linked national health and aged care data were used to identify 19,600 people living with dementia who were hospitalised for a fall in 2019, and 113,000 people living with dementia who had no record of a hospitalised fall. Risk factors (health conditions and medications) were investigated for association with increased risk of first hospitalised fall and risk factor profiles were created based on combinations of factors occurring together. Outcomes following the first fall (injuries, recurrent falls, entry to residential aged care and mortality) were compared by risk profiles.
Results: Among people living with dementia in the community: 2 in 5 entered residential aged care after a first hospitalised fall; those with multimorbidity experienced the highest frequency of falls (1 in 4); and 19% of those within the lowest risk factor profile who experienced a first hospitalised fall died within 1 year, compared with 7% of those with no fall. Among people living with dementia in residential aged care: 90% of people who had a first hospitalised fall had an injury recorded; and 17% of people with multimorbidity experienced a first hospitalised fall, with 29% of these people experiencing recurrent falls within one year.
Conclusion: Risk of falls and fall-related outcomes differ by risk profile. Understanding these risk profiles and outcomes can help to inform targeted prevention strategies.