Using simulated falls performed under supervised conditions and activities of daily living (ADL) performed by elderly subjects, the ability to discriminate between falls and ADL was investigated using tri-axial accelerometer sensors, mounted on the trunk and thigh. Data analysis was performed using MATLAB to determine the peak accelerations recorded during eight different types of falls. These ...

Falls are the commonest cause of trauma in older adults and are of particular concern in hospital settings (Ojo et al., 2009). Osteoporotic fractures occurring as a consequence of falls are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in this population (Stubbs et al., 2009). Older adult psychiatric long-stay patients are at elevated risk of osteoporosis, with one recent study confirming this lin...

Falls are a common and serious risk with an aging population. Chiropractors commonly see firsthand the effects of falls and resulting injuries in their senior patients and they can reduce falls risk through active screening. Ongoing research has provided proven approaches for making falls less likely. Screening for falls should be done yearly for all patients 65 years and older or in those with...

OBJECTIVES To identify risk factors for indoor and outdoor falls. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING The MOBILIZE Boston Study, a study of falls etiology in community-dwelling older individuals. PARTICIPANTS Seven hundred sixty-five women and men, mainly aged 70 and older, from randomly sampled households in the Boston, Massachusetts, area. MEASUREMENTS Baseline data were collecte...

OBJECTIVE To test the effectiveness of using a full-time project nurse to assist residential aged care facilities in using evidence-based approaches to falls injury prevention. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Cluster randomised controlled trial involving 5391 residents in 88 aged care facilities in the Hunter and Lower Mid North Coast areas of New South Wales. Residents were followed for 545...

OBJECTIVE To analyze the characteristics of visits to the emergency services that result from falls and to identify the factors associated with these visits. METHOD A cross-sectional study of 12,617 visits that resulted from falls, recorded in the National Injury Surveillance System, was carried out. The data were collected in 23 Brazilian capitals and the Federal District between September a...

Declines in executive function and dual-task performance have been related to falls in older adults, and recent research suggests that older adults at risk for falls also show impairments on real-world tasks, such as crossing a street. The present study examined whether falls risk was associated with driving performance in a high-fidelity simulator. Participants were classified as high or low f...

Osteoarthritis (OA) exacerbates skeletal muscle functioning, leading to postural instability and increased falls risk. However, the link between impaired physical function, OA and falls have not been elucidated. We investigated the role of impaired physical function as a potential mediator in the association between OA and falls. This study included 389 participants [229 fallers (≥2 falls or on...