Falls among healthy, community-dwelling, older women: a prospective study of frequency, circumstances, consequences and prediction accuracy

Abstract

Objective: Most studies of falls among older people have focused on those with some degree of balance or mobility impairment. This study aimed to establish whether falls and associated injuries were a major problem among healthy, older women, whether there were some common features in the falls, and whether these falls could be accurately predicted. Method: Ninety‐six healthy, active community‐dwelling women in Melbourne, Australia, aged at least 70 years (mean 74.1 ±4.0) were initially measured on a comprehensive series of laboratory and clinical balance tests, gait, strength and psychometric measures. Subjects were monitored for falls events, circumstances and consequences by use of falls diaries and monthly phone calls. Baseline measures of clinical balance measures and gait were comparable to other studies reporting scores on these measures in samples of healthy older people. Results: During the 12‐month follow‐up period, 49% of subjects fell, with 23% falling more than once; 9% suffered fractures as a result of their fall and 10% suffered strains or other moderate injuries. Many of the falls occurred during non‐threatening activities such as walking, often under altered sensory or environmental conditions. Multivariate logistic regression identified gait symmetry and gait double support duration as the variables most strongly associated with prediction of multiple falters. Conclusions: The results highlight that falls are a major problem among healthy active older women, and that targeted falls prevention programs are required for this group.

Dynamic stability differences in fall-prone and healthy adults

“…Health and economic aspects of fall interventions necessitate the identification of and intervention for individuals at greatest risk of falling (Hill et al, 1999;National Aging Research Institute, 2000). In that regard, various measures of balance and physical functions have been proposed to identify potential fallers.…”

“…Those studies suggested that traditional linear measures mask the dynamic structure of motor variability such as the loss of the temporal variations of the gait pattern due to averaging procedures. Measures of static equilibrium during quiet standing are useful estimates of risk (Hill et al, 1999) but cannot fully characterize stability during walking wherein the majority of falls occur (Campbell et al, 1981). Nonlinear stability assessments of walking may augment traditional clinical assessments to help identify potential fallers.…”

A Biomechanical Study for Developing Wearable-Sensor System to Prevent Hip Fractures among Seniors

“…The pads are held in position by being incorporated into a garment that is supposed to keep the pad in the right position with respect to the hip area. Unfortunately, it often fails to do so because the pocket containing the pad can move away from the area during falls [11]. Additionally, some seniors refuse to use hip protectors because they find them constraining their daily activities [12].…”

Evaluation of the Relative Viability of Anthropometric Parameters, Aerobic Capacity, Spinal Mobility, Abdominal Muscular Endurance, Back and Lower Limb Muscle Strength in Predicting the Balance Performance of Young Adult Males

“…Balance impairment is also associated with the deconditioning of the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems and the aging process [4][5][6] Postural instability (increased postural sway) has been demonstrated in apparently healthy individuals after 40 years of age and among the elderly [3]. A direct link has been found between postural instability and unexplained falls among the elderly [6,7].…”