Follow-up of falls, frailty, balance confidence, and depression in older adults in Turkey: a prospective cohort study

Abstract The aim of the study was to examine multiple health problems such as frailty, fall risk, depression, anxiety, and balance problems, which are frequently observed in older individuals, with a prospective approach during the COVID-19 pandemic period and to contribute to holistic approaches to assessing the health of older individuals by determining the relationship between these variables. A single-center prospective cohort-type study was conducted. Kihon Checklist, Activities Specific Balance and Confidence Scale, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were used in the study. Participants experienced a significant increase in the number of falls, frailty level, number of comorbidities, anxiety, and depression levels ( p < 0.001), while their balance confidence decreased ( p < 0.001). Older adults with history of COVID-19 had a higher number of falls in post-test ( p = 0.049). Furthermore, individuals who experienced a significant event in the last two years exhibited higher numbers of falls ( p = 0.004) and increased frailty levels ( p = 0.038), irrespective of the type of event ( p = 0.424, p = 0.075, respectively). The study provides evidence that COVID-19 has a long-term impact on older adults. In addition, this study demonstrated the multidimensional relationship between frailty, falls, depression, anxiety, and balance confidence in older people and observed the change over time. So holistic assessment should be performed in older population.