Caregivers’ fear of older care recipients falling: A systematic review of qualitative studies

• Published in: Geriatric nursing (New York) 2023-05, Vol.51, p.303-316
• Main Authors: Shang, Siyi, Zhang, Qinghua, Qi, Lingxia, Liu, Tongtong, Shengguang, Cheng, Song, Li, Wang, Yujie, Yin, Jinyu, Han, Hui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Caregivers; Fear; Fear of falling; Humans; Older adults; Qualitative; Qualitative Research; Quality of Life; Systematic review
• ISSN: 0197-4572; 1528-3984
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gerinurse.2023.03.017

•Caregivers’ FOF mostly comes from the perception of the fall risk in older adults.•FOF triggers caregivers overprotective behavior and environmental modification.•FOF negatively influences the physical, psychological and social life of caregivers.•Caregivers with FOF are in urgent need of social and professional support. This qualitative systematic review aimed to describe informal caregivers’ and health personnel's experiences of the FOF (fear of falling) of older adults under their care. A systematic search of databases included not only the PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library but also the Chinese databases of CNKI, WanFang, and Vip. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) tool was used to assess the quality of the included studies. In total, 17 studies were included in the systematic evaluation. Four themes were identified, and an evidence model was developed that includes multiple attributions of FOF, management strategies for fall prevention, dynamic challenges and adaptation, and external support and unmet needs. The fear of falling felt by informal caregivers and health personnel is mainly affected by internal factors in older adults, and harms the health of older adults through overprotective behavior. Thus, there is an urgent need of external support to improve the quality of life and promote the healthy aging of older adults.