Objective

To define the psychosocial profile of elders hospitalized for fall-related hip fracture.

Methods

A quantitative, descriptive, prevalence study was performed by evaluating 55 individuals aged 65 years old or more, from March 2017 through February 2018. Data were collected using a socioeconomic questionnaire and the Barthel Index for Activities of Daily Living.

Results

The mean age was 80.8 years and 76.36% of the sample was made up of women. Most patients were widowed (58.2%). Regarding educational attainment, 61.8% had completed primary education and 29.1% were uneducated. Unemployment prevailed among the sample (69.1%) and 56.36% had a monthly income below 101,77 USD and reported social support as their main source of income. Household conditions were homogenous across the sample. A variable degree of loss of autonomy in activities of daily living was reported in 67.3% of the sample.

Discussion

The findings allow hypothesizing that the risk for medical and socioeconomic complications during the recovery period could be higher in the study population due to the reported psychosocial vulnerabilities.