22 August 2024
Syafrijal S.Kom
Medan - Lecturers from the Faculty of Medicine (FK) of the University of North Sumatra (USU) carried out community service at the Elderly Posyandu, PB Selayang Health Center, Medan. The lecturers are dr. Dina Aprillia Ariestine, M.Ked (PD), Sp.PD, K.Ger and dr. Melati Silvanni Nasution, M.Ked (PD), Sp.PD, K.EMD.
dr. Dina Aprillia Ariestine, M.Ked (PD), Sp.PD, K.Ger., in her service proposal explained that the Hospital-Based Community Geriatric Services program carried out by RSP Prof. Dr. Chairuddin P. Lubis USU in realizing healthy, independent, active, and productive elderly people requires education and training for the elderly as a form of increasing the knowledge and ability of the elderly to behave healthily and productively.
"This program is engaged in the aspect of increasing the knowledge of the elderly community regarding the importance of preventing falls and safety during activities at home. In the future, it is hoped that this increase in knowledge can achieve a better quality of life in the future," said dr. Dina.
They hope that this program can increase the elderly's understanding of fall prevention, especially by improving body function through education, nutritional supplementation, and physical activity so that healthy, independent, active, and productive elderly people are formed.
"We also hope that the elderly can continue to carry out their social functions and play an active role in a reasonable manner in community, national and state life," he explained.
Doctor Dina said that aging is a biological process that produces complex and physiological changes in the body, including all cells, tissues, organs, and body systems. This process causes a decrease in physical ability and independence. This is one of the triggers for the increase in the risk of falls in the elderly, especially in hospitals. Every year, 1 in 3 elderly patients have a high risk of falling, and this often increases with age.
Falls are one of the major threats to the quality of life of the elderly. Falls are associated with substantial morbidity, decreased quality of life, substantial health care expenditures, and premature death. The fear of falling, which occurs in 20% to 39% of elderly people who have fallen, can cause activity limitations and reduce the quality of life of the elderly.
"Falling, especially repeated falls, will increase the risk of injury, hospitalization, and death especially in elderly patients who are vulnerable and have other comorbid diseases and deficits in daily activities. As a result, fear of falling can cause decreased quality of life, decreased mobility, decreased function and falls in the elderly. The effects of fear of falling are a threat to socialization, independence, disease, and death in the elderly by affecting balance, dual task performance, physical activity and quality of life in the elderly. Several other factors that influence fear of falling are limitations in activities and the absence of social interaction, but separate from the history of falls," he said.
Risk factors that contribute to falls in the elderly are very diverse. Causes of falls can be categorized into personal and environmental factors. In personal factors, cognitive decline and underlying medical conditions are common factors that cause falls, while other factors, namely decreased physical fitness in general, cause decreased muscle strength, decreased bone mass, loss of balance and coordination, and reduced flexibility, making them susceptible to falls.
"In this community service activity, the Community Service team will provide education on fall prevention and physical training to prevent falls in the elderly. The target of this program is the elderly at the PB Selayang Health Center Lansia Posyandu and through this education, it is hoped that the elderly can increase their knowledge and understanding of fall prevention and increase physical training can be carried out by the elderly to prevent falls," concluded Dr. Melati Silvanni Nasution, M.Ked
source: https://analisadaily.com/berita/baca/2024/08/22/1054931/dosen-fk-usu-pengabdian-masyarakat-terapkan-model-program-pencegahan-jatuh-sebagai-hospital-based-community-geriatric-services-di-posyandu-lansia/
