Reduce falls by improving cognitive function
August 6, 2013
Originally published at UBC CPD, by Dr. Teresa Liu-Ambrose What I did before Falls are a common geriatric syndrome and are the third leading cause of chronic disability worldwide. Falls are not random events and occur, at least in part, due to impaired physiological function, such as impaired balance, and cognitive impairment. Primary care physicians can use the Physiological Profile Assessment screening tool – it has normative data (65 and up) and provides information for patients as well.1 Results from both systematic reviews and meta-analyses highlight that exercise can play an important role in falls prevention.2 The Otago Exercise Program (OEP) – a physical therapist-delivered, or nurse-delivered, progressive home-based strength and … Read more
Category: Falls Prevention, Healthy Cognitive Aging, Publication
A comparison of the ICECAP-O with EQ-5D in a falls prevention clinical setting: are they complements or substitutes?
June 22, 2013
Qual Life Res. 2013 Jun;22(5):969-77. doi: 10.1007/s11136-012-0225-4. Epub 2012 Jun 22. Among older adults living in the community, high quality research indicates the best way to reduce you risk of falling is to modify multiple risk factors based on your own personal risk factor profile for falling. Purpose Our research explored whether two preference-based outcome measures (EuroQol EQ-5D and ICECAP-O) are complements or substitutes in the context of the Vancouver Falls Prevention Clinic for seniors. Methods The EQ-5D and ICECAP-O were administered once at 12 months post first clinic attendance. We report descriptive statistics for all baseline characteristics collected at first clinic visit and primary outcomes of interest. We ascertain … Read more
Category: Adding Quality to Later Life Years, Publication
Interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community.
September 12, 2012
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2012 Sep 12;9:CD007146. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007146.pub3. As people get older, they may fall more often for a variety of reasons including problems with balance, poor vision, and dementia. Up to 30% may fall per year. Although one in five falls may require medical attention, less than one in 10 results in a fracture. Fear of falling can result in self-restricted activity levels. It may not be possible to prevent falls completely, but people who tend to fall frequently may be enabled to fall less often. This review looked at which methods are effective for older people living in the community, and includes 111 randomised controlled trials, with a … Read more
Category: Falls Prevention, Publication
Changes in executive functions and self-efficacy are independently associated with improved usual gait speed in older women.
May 19, 2010
BMC Geriatr. 2010 May 19;10:25. doi: 10.1186/1471-2318-10-25. Background Improved usual gait speed predicts substantial reduction in mortality. A better understanding of the modifiable factors that are independently associated with improved gait speed would ensure that intervention strategies are developed based on a valid theoretical framework. Thus, we examined the independent association of change in executive functions and change in falls-related self-efficacy with improved gait speed among community-dwelling senior women. Methods A secondary analysis of the 135 senior women aged 65 to 75 years old who completed a 12-month randomized controlled trial of resistance training. Usual gait speed was assessed using a 4-meter walk. Three executive processes were assessed by standard neuropsychological … Read more
Category: Publication
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