Association between Fall History and Gait, Balance, Physical Activity, Depression, Fear of Falling, and Motor Capacity: A 6-Month Follow-Up Study

Abstract

Maintaining function in older adults is key to the quality of life and longevity. This study examined the potential impact of falls on accelerating further deterioration over time in gait, balance, physical activity, depression, fear of falling, and motor capacity in older adults. 163 ambulatory older adults (age = 76.5 ± 7.7 years) participated and were followed for 6 months. They were classified into fallers or non-fallers based on a history of falling within the past year. At baseline and 6 months, all participants were objectively assessed for gait, balance, and physical activity using wearable sensors. Additional assessments included psychosocial concerns (depression and fear of falling) and motor capacity (Timed Up and Go test). The fallers showed lower gait performance, less physical activity, lower depression level, higher fear of falling, and less motor capacity than non-fallers at baseline and 6-month follow-up. Results also revealed acceleration in physical activity and motor capacity decline compared to non-fallers at a 6-month follow-up. Our findings suggest that falls would accelerate deterioration in both physical activity and motor performance and highlight the need for effective therapy to reduce the consequences of falls in older adults.

Feasibility and Effectiveness of a Novel Intervention Integrating Physical Therapy Exercise and Dance Movement Therapy on Fall Risk in Community-Dwelling Older Women: A Randomized Pilot Study

“…Additionally, the study population included only women over 80 years of age, most of whom had history of falls and high fall risk. Hence, these generally vulnerable participants require a timely intervention to enhance their physical and emotional measures [ 93 , 114 , 115 ].…”

Objective Assessment of Upper-Extremity Motor Functions in Spinocerebellar Ataxia Using Wearable Sensors

“…A reduced number of motor tasks may improve the feasibility of using the platform in a non-clinical setting and for remote patient monitoring. Digital health technologies are poised to become an integral part of modern health care, expedited by the surge in remote care necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic [ 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 ]. The proposed solution paves the way to integrating digital health technology (i.e., wearables) to enhance the utility of objective measures of ataxia.…”

Tele-Medicine Based and Self-Administered Interactive Exercise Program (Tele-Exergame) to Improve Cognition in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia: A Feasibility, Acceptability, and Proof-of-Concept Study

“…The following clinical information was also collected, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, musculoskeletal problems, stroke, depression, sleep problems, diabetes, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, urinary tract problem, digestive problem, hearing problem, walking assistance use, fall history in the past year, daily prescription medications, and daily over-the-counter medications. Furthermore, all participants were assessed for their fear of falling using the Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I) questionnaire [ 26 , 27 ] and their depression symptoms using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) questionnaire [ 27 , 28 ].…”