Fall Risk Assessment
At the Falls Prevention Clinic, we use a tool called the Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA) to assess your risk of falling. As we age, our vision, our leg strength, peripheral sensation, and vestibular function may decrease leading to an overall decline in balance and strength. In turn, this can increase our risk of falls and fall-related injuries.
The PPA predicts future falls with 75% accuracy. Research has shown that a dedicated Falls Risk Assessment can reduce future falls by 60%. From our ten years of experience at the Falls Prevention Clinic, we have reduced future falls by 50% among senior fallers who meet our eligibility criteria.
The PPA was developed to assess falls risk by measuring 5 key physiological domains that predict falls in older adults.
- balance
- hand reaction time
- quadriceps strength
- proprioception (the sense of relative position of different body parts)
- edge contrast sensitivity (depth perception)
From your performance on each of these five physiological domains, an overall falls risk score is computed for each individual with 75% predictive accuracy for falls in older adults. A PPA z-score of 0-1 indicates mild risk, 1-2 indicates moderate risk, 2-3 indicates high risk, and 3 and above indicates marked risk.