Fall prevention has received a great deal of consideration and funding, however fall rates have not reduced accordingly. Health practitioners are key stakeholders in the process of implementing fall prevention evidence into their clinical assessment and management of older people at risk of falling. Investigating health practitioners’ clinical experiences and perceptions has been identified as a means to enhance the translation of knowledge. Four databases were searched for studies exploring health practitioners’ perceptions of falls and fall prevention. A metasynthesis of eight qualitative studies was conducted. The findings suggest that health practitioners face substantial barriers in the implementation of fall prevention practices. These include personal, interpersonal, and clinical barriers in addition to limitations of the research evidence. This knowledge hopes to enhance targeted dissemination of knowledge, reducing the research–practice gap and improving clinical outcomes for older people at risk of falls.

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The body is central to the experience of aging. In this metasynthesis, the authors located, analyzed, and reconceptualized phenomenological research on how life is experienced within and through the body after 85 years. Sandelowski and Barroso’s metasynthesis method was employed. Seven databases were searched for primary phenomenological studies. After systematic screening and quality appraisal, 19 studies were included for review. Analysis was guided by Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s existential philosophy of embodiment. Findings were organized using Max van Manen’s reflective lifeworld existentials. Four ontological dimensions emerged, namely, being in a body (corporeality), being in time (temporality), being in place (spatiality), and being with others (relationality). Each dimension captures a distinct experiential dimension of this stage of the life course. The results suggest vast heterogeneity in the ontological experience of aging, supporting the view that diversity grows with age. The ability to adapt to multidimensional losses was identified as a source of resilience.

The aim of this study was to describe the phenomenology of the body after 85 years, addressing the following question: What is the experience of the body at this age? Within the paradigm of existential phenomenology, this study was philosophically and methodologically underpinned by embodiment theory, positioning the body as the starting point for the exploration of lived experience. In-depth interviews with 20 purposively selected individuals were analyzed using van Manen’s context-sensitive phenomenological orientation. Findings indicated that the body was experienced primarily in negative terms, as compromising engagement in meaningful activity, independence, safety, vitality, dignity, and identity. Participants coped with bodily changes through adaptation, humor, and acceptance. In addition, participants viewed their unreliable and at times unfamiliar body, as distinct from their sense of self. This research addresses the current lack of subjective accounts of bodily and embodied experiences in this group, combating assumptive views and contributing insightful understanding.

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