Verification of Fall Prevention Measures Using Color for Elderly People with Dementia

Research Project

Project/Area Number	16K12226
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Research Field	Gerontological nursing
Research Institution	Aino University
Principal Investigator	Honda Yoko 藍野大学, 医療保健学部, 教授 (40390166)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	笹谷真由美神戸女子大学, 看護学部, 教授 (50435327) 田丸朋子梅花女子大学, 看護保健学部, 准教授 (00634940) 岩佐美香 (湯浅美香) 四天王寺大学, 看護学部, 講師 (70583342) 米澤知恵藍野大学, 医療保健学部, 講師 (20723042) 河原史倫藍野大学, 医療保健学部, 助教 (50803144)
Project Period (FY)	2016-04-01 – 2023-03-31
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 2022)
Budget Amount *help	¥4,940,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,140,000) Fiscal Year 2019: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000) Fiscal Year 2018: ¥650,000 (Direct Cost: ¥500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥150,000) Fiscal Year 2017: ¥260,000 (Direct Cost: ¥200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥60,000) Fiscal Year 2016: ¥3,380,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥780,000)
Keywords	高齢者 / 転倒予防 / 色彩 / 認知症 / 色彩環境 / 老年看護学
Outline of Final Research Achievements	Elderly people with dementia have difficulty avoiding hazards on their own. Also, they are at higher risk of falling than those without dementia. We therefore expected that color would be effective in preventing falls for the elderly with dementia.The color used was pink, which was found to be highly visible in basic research.In Study I, we colored bed fences to examine whether they changed the gaze and movements of healthy elderly people.In Study II, we colored handrails and other objects in a dementia care ward to examine whether the fall rates and the condition of falls changed.From the above, it became clear that although the handrails colored pink have high visibility for the elderly and may serve as markers during movement, they do not reduce the fall rates.In other words, to prevent elderly people with dementia from falling, turning the handrails pink throughout the ward is harmless but not very effective.Therefore, the coloring should be tailored to the individuality.
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	看護学分野および介護・福祉分野において、高齢者の転倒予防に関する研究は数多く見受けられる。とくに認知症の高齢者の転倒予防に関しては、現場からの希求も高く、研究論文、書籍ともに多い。しかしそれらの中に、色彩を用いて転倒を予防する内容のものは見当たらない。本研究は独創性に富むものである。加えて本研究は、低コストで実践可能な転倒予防策であるうえ、スタッフの労力を必要とせず、病院、施設、在宅など場所を選ばず実践可能であり、今までの転倒予防策にはない特徴を持つもので、社会的意義は大きいと考える。