Introduction: In the elderly, functional balance, fear of falling, and independence in daily living activities are interrelated; however, this relationship may change under the influence of drug phase and the severity of disease in individuals with idiopathic Parkinson disease. This study aimed to investigate the association of functional balance, fear of falling, and independence in the Activi...

Balance is an important issue in aging research since it is undoubtedly linked with motor performance affecting, thus, activities of daily living and consecutively the quality of life in the elderly. Maintenance of good balance ability reduces the chance of a fall which, especially in the elderly, is not only an important predictor of mortality but also a major problem with important negative h...

PURPOSE To determine whether improved functional balance through a Tai Chi intervention is related to subsequent reductions in falls among elderly persons. METHODS Two hundred fifty-six healthy, physically inactive older adults aged 70-92 (mean age +/- SD = 77.48 +/- 4.95), recruited from a local health system in Portland, OR, participated in a 6-month randomized controlled trial, with alloca...

Fear of falling in elderly is a major cause of loss of independence, which has an effect on the physical function in them. The focus of the study is to find whether a relationship exist among fear of falling, balance impairment and functional mobility in the community dwelling elderly people. The sample consisted of 52 community dwelling elderly people of age between 65 years to 90 years (mean ...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of age on hip proprioception, and determine whether age-related hip proprioception declines disrupt balance. DESIGN Survey of proprioception and balance differences between 3 age groups. SETTING University balance laboratory. PARTICIPANTS Volunteer sample of independent community-dwelling adults (N=102) without sensory or other neurologic impairments in 3...

BACKGROUND Walking in everyday life requires the ability to adapt walking to the environment. This adaptability is often impaired after stroke, and this might contribute to the increased fall risk after stroke. To improve safe community ambulation, walking adaptability training might be beneficial after stroke. This study is designed to compare the effects of two interventions for improving wal...

OBJECTIVE To determine the minimum detectable change at 95% confidence for the Berg Balance Scale in a group of elderly people, undergoing physiotherapy rehabilitation. DESIGN Multi-centre, test-retest design. SUBJECTS Cross-sectional sample of convenience of people over 65 years (n = 118) without a previous history of stroke, Parkinson's disease or recent hip arthroplasty. RATERS: Physioth...