Introduction: Anemia in the elderly is fairly common. Numerous studies have shown that even mild anemia is a risk factor for falls in patients over the age of 65 in hospitals and nursing homes. Fractures and falls are among the main causes of hospital admission, disability and mortality in elderly patients. Purpose: The purpose of this work is to determine whether there is a link between anemia and falls in patients over 65 years of age, prevalence and causes of anemia in elderly patients, and to identify interventions that can help healthcare professionals prevent falls during hospitalization. Methods: A descriptive method of work was used. We reviewed professional and scientific literature in Slovene and English, acquired from the following databases: CINAHL, Cochrane, COBIB.si and MedLine (EBSCOhost). We also used the PubMed search engine and searched the World Wide Web using Google Scholar. Relevant literature was searched from April 2021 to June 2022. The literature was accessed by remote access through the digital library of the University of Ljubljana (DiKUL). Results: There are several different causes for the development of anemia. The most common are iron deficiency, vitamin B12 and / or folate deficiency, chronic inflammation, renal failure, and often, anemia due to an unknown cause. More than half of the research included in our literature review implied an association between anemia and falls. Discussion and conclusion: The link between anemia and falls is important, as anemia is widespread around the world and affects elderly and patients of all ages. Anemia, and the consequent falls have a significant impact on the quality of life of elderly patients, as they can lead to premature moving into nursing homes. In Slovenia, this area is still unexplored, which is a big problem. It is necessary to inform and educate the healthcare providers about interventions to prevent falls in anemic patients.
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