A mixed methods evaluation of yoga as a fall prevention strategy for older people in India

Source: Pilot feasibility Studies

Follow this link for the abstract

Date of publication: 1 May 2018

 Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: This study sought to evaluate the acceptability, feasibility and likely impact of a yoga-based program aimed at improving balance and mobility for older residents in urban India.

 Length of publication: 7 pages

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

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Step length determines minimum toe clearance in older adults and people with Parkinson’s disease

Source: Journal of Biomechanics, 2017, online

Follow this link for the abstract

Date of publication: December 2017

Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: Reduced foot clearance when walking may increase the risk of trips and falls in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Changes in foot clearance in PD are likely to be associated with temporal-spatial characteristics of gait such as walking slowly which evokes alterations in the temporal-spatial control of stepping patterns. Enhancing the understanding of the temporal-spatial determinants of foot clearance may inform the design of falls prevention therapies. Results suggest step length is the primary determinant of MTC regardless of pathology. Interventions that focus on increasing step length may help to reduce the risk of trips and falls during gait, however, clinical trials are required for robust evaluation.

Length of publication: 1 page

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

Impaired perceived timing of falls in the elderly

Source: Gait & Posture, 2018, Vol 59 p. 40-45

Follow this link for the abstract

Date of publication: January 2018

Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths and hospitalizations, with older adults at an increased risk. As humans age, physical changes and health conditions make falls more likely. The body reflexively responds to prevent injury during a fall, though little is known of the perception of this response. Younger and older people were compared for their perceptions of time during a fall: older people’s fall perception was found to be nearly twice as slow. It is possible that such age-related differences in fall perception may relate to increased falls rates in older adults.

Length of publication: 5 pages

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

Integrated care for older people : guidelines on community-level interventions to manage declines in intrinsic capacity

Source: World Health Organization

Follow this link for the full text 

Date of publication: 2017

 Publication type: Guideline

In a nutshell: The recommendations provided here on integrated care for older people (ICOPE) offer evidence-based guidance to health care providers on the appropriate approaches at the community level to detect and manage important declines in physical and mental capacities, and to deliver interventions in support of caregivers. These standards can act as the basis for national guidelines and for the inclusion of older people’s health care in primary care programmes, using a person-centred and integrated approach.

 Length of publication: 60 pages

 

Home modification to reduce falls at a health district level: modeling health gain, health inequalities and health costs

Source: PLOSOne

Follow this link for the abstract

Date of publication: 14th September 2017

Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: There is some evidence that home safety assessment and modification (HSAM) is effective in reducing falls in older people. But there are various knowledge gaps, including around cost-effectiveness and also the impacts at a health district-level.

Length of publication: 16 pages

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.

 

Conceptualizing a dynamic fall risk model including intrinsic risks and exposures

Source: Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 2017, Online

Follow this link for the abstract

Date of publication: September 2017

Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: Falls are a major cause of injury and disability in older people, and can lead to various health and social consequences. Accurately understanding and identifying a person’s fall risk is needed to design and provide individual prevention measures, but current fall-risk models are weak compared to risk models for other specialities. Current models, for example, consider risk factors to be stable over time, not reflecting real-life experience. This study therefore posits a dynamic fall-risk model linking time and context. This may lead to the development of new fall prevention interventions.

Length of publication: 1 page

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS Library for the full text of the article. Follow this link to find your local NHS Library.