The relationship between fear of falling, activities of daily living and quality of life among elderly individuals

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between functional disability and fear of falling during daily activities. Also examined was the relationship between fear of falling and health-related Quality of Life (QOL). Health-related QOL concepts were measured using the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) within an elderly day services sample. Eligible subjects were elderly persons using Day Service (type B) who were capable of independently answering a questionnaire and had no memory problems. Forty-three males and 92 females were eligible for this study. Forty-nine (36.3%) subjects expressed no fear of falling, whereas 22 (16.3%) reported that they were very fearful of falling. Among females, walking and bathing had a highly significant relationship with the fear of falling. The fear of falling can contribute to psychological conditions such as depression, and also impacts on the health-related QOL of frail elderly people. Thus, it is critical to provide integrated health care activities for these individuals that address both psychological well-being and physical functioning.

Adaptation and Reintegration of Proprioceptive Information in Young and Older Adults' Postural Control

“…Potentially dangerous situations leading to falls are more likely to occur in dynamically changing environments. Even though the additional sway caused by sensory reweighting is not large enough to cause a fall, we know that even the fear of falling, likely to be induced by abrupt environmental changes, constrains quality of life (Scheffer et al 2008) even in older adults that never experienced an actual fall (Jorstad et al 2005;Suzuki et al 2002). Older adults' enhanced awareness for fall avoidance is emphasized in posturecognition dual-task performance.…”

Risk factors for recurrent falls among Brazilian women and men: the Brazilian Osteoporosis Study (BRAZOS)

“…This is the first epidemiological study to assess the correlation between recurrent falls and quality of life in a representative sample of the general adult population in Brazil. Recurrent falls may cause deterioration in quality of life 27 and the decline in quality of life may be used as a parameter to discriminate elderly individuals with recurrent falls and those who do not have this problem 28 . Furthermore, fall prevention programs, particularly those that focus on exercise, are important strategies in reducing the risk of falls as well as improving quality of life, functional capacity, gait and balance among elderly 29 .…”

Actividade física, equilíbrio e medo de cair. Um estudo em idosos institucionalizados

“…De facto, nenhum dos estudos que refere o maior equilíbrio dos homens foi efectuado em idosos institucionalizados ao contrário da presente investigação. No que respeita ao medo de cair, os resultados do nosso estudo estão de acordo com diferentes trabalhos que referem que as mulheres idosas apresentam mais medo de cair do que os homens idosos (14,25) . Autores como Tinetti et al (30) e McAuley et al (16) sugerem que o menor medo de cair nos indivíduos do sexo masculino comparativamente aos do sexo feminino, poderá estar relacionado com o facto de os homens não reconhecerem esse medo, evitando um potencial estigma.…”

“…No presente trabalho foi possível verificar a existên-cia de uma associação positiva e significativa entre a pontuação da FES, que indicia um menor medo de cair, com um maior equilíbrio. Suzuki et al (25) verificaram que ter muito medo de cair estava fortemente associado não apenas com uma diminuição do equilíbrio mas igualmente com a redução da mobilidade, da actividade física e com o aumento de quedas. De igual modo, Brouwer et al (2) sugerem que indiví-duos que apresentam reduzidos níveis de equilíbrio apresentam uma elevada preocupação com a ocorrência de quedas e pouca confiança no seu próprio equilíbrio, limitando, por consequência, as suas actividades.…”