Identification of Optimal Foot Tactile Sensation Threshold for Detecting Fall Risk Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Yang
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Sensory Loss ◽  
Tactile Sensitivity ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Risk Of Falls ◽  
Logistical Regression ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Objective Foot tactile sensitivity loss, commonly assessed by monofilaments, is a fall risk factor among older adults. The broadly used threshold of the monofilament for fall risk assessment in older adults is 5.07. However, this threshold originates from assessing foot ulceration risk in people with peripheral neuropathy. The primary purpose of this study was to identify the optimal filament size and its cutoff number of sensitive sites that can be used to best identify a high risk of falls in terms of the foot tactile sensitivity for community-dwelling older adults. Methods In this cross-sectional study, the foot tactile sensitivity was assessed by a 6-piece Semmes-Weinstein monofilament kit at 9 sites per foot among 94 older adults, including 38 fallers and 56 nonfallers. The number of sensitive sites was determined for each monofilament size as the cutoff. Logistical regression analyses were used to determine the monofilament size and number of sensitive sites best able to differentiate fallers from nonfallers. Results Fallers showed overall worse foot tactile sensory measurements than nonfallers. Logistical regression analyses identified 4.31 as the best monofilament size and 7 as the number of sensitive sites to differentiate fallers from nonfallers with an accuracy of 72.3%. Conclusion The 4.31 monofilament could be the best filament to detect the risk of falls among older adults in terms of tactile sensory loss. Inability to feel the pressure from the 4.31 filament at more than 7 sites could indicate a high risk of falls. Impact These findings could help physical therapists and other rehabilitation professionals improve decision making in detecting older adults with a high risk of falls, thus facilitating the effort of fall prevention in older adults.

scholarly journals Is functional fitness performance a useful predictor of risk of falls among community-dwelling older adults?

2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hsin-Hung Ho ◽  
I-Yao Fang ◽  
Yi-Chien Yu ◽  
Yi-Ping Huang ◽  
I-Ling Kuo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Risk Scores ◽  
Functional Fitness ◽  
Risk Of Falling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Risk Of Falls ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Background Falls among older adults are a serious public health problem. Many studies indicate that positive functional fitness performance decreases the risk of falls. A limited amount of previous study has investigated the association between broad functional fitness and the fall risk. This study examines the associations between functional fitness and the risk of falling among community-dwelling older adults. Methods Three waves of cross-sectional data were collected from 2017 to 2019 in Taipei City, Taiwan. Six hundred sixty-five participants aged ≥65 years were randomly recruited from 12 districts of Taipei. Eight functional fitness tests (i.e., back scratch, chair-sit and-reach, 8-ft up-and-go, 30-s sit-to-stand, 30-s arm curl, 30-s single-leg stance, 2-min step, and hand grip strength tests) were performed to record the physical performance of older subjects. A Chinese version of the fall-risk questionnaire (FRQ) was used to calculate the fall risk scores. Linear regression and logistic regression were utilized to estimate the relationships of each functional fitness and fall risk. Result The results showed that 37.45% of older adults had a high risk of falling. It was found for each functional fitness that performance was linearly associated with the risk of falling. Moreover, older adults with low-performance levels in all functional fitness except back-scratching were more likely to have a higher risk of falling. Conclusions Our study indicated that functional fitness performance appears to provide valid predictive guidance for reducing the risk of falling among the older population.

scholarly journals Accuracy of clinical-functional tools to identify risk of falls among community-dwelling older adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raphaela Xavier Sampaio ◽  
Amanda Maria Santos Abreu ◽  
Cristiane Almeida Nagata ◽  
Patrícia Azevedo Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Predictive Value ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Methodological Study ◽  
Risk Of Falls ◽  
One Year ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Introduction: The identification of older adults who present greater chances of falling is the first step in the prevention of falls. Clinical instruments have been shown to be able to differentiate fallers from non-fallers, but their predictive validity remains controversial. Objective: To investigate the accuracy of the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and Quick Screen Clinical Fall Risk Assessment (QuickScreen) instruments to identify risk of falls in community-dwelling older adults. Method: This is a prospective methodological study with 81 older adults (≥ 60 years), assessed at baseline by SPPB and QuickScreen and monitored after one year to identify the occurrence of falls. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and area under the ROC curve (AUC) were calculated. Results: 28.4% of the sample reported falls. QuickScreen presented 52.2% sensitivity, 74.1% specificity, 44.4% PPV, 79.6% NPV and 0.656 AUC. The AUC for SPPB was not significant (p = 0.087). Conclusion: QuickScreen presented poor accuracy when predicting falls and SPPB was unable to identify community-dwelling older adults at risk of falls. The QuickScreen instrument stood out for its high potential to identify true negatives.

scholarly journals Key factor cutoffs and interval reference values for stratified fall risk assessment in community-dwelling older adults: the role of physical fitness, body composition, physical activity, health condition, and environmental hazards

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (S2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catarina Pereira ◽  
Guida Veiga ◽  
Gabriela Almeida ◽  
Ana Rita Matias ◽  
Ana Cruz-Ferreira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Physical Fitness ◽  
Reference Values ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Moderate Risk ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults ◽  
Very High

Abstract Background Fall risk assessment and determination of older adults’ individual risk profiles are crucial elements in fall prevention. As such, it is essential to establish cutoffs and reference values for high and low risk according to key risk factor outcomes. This study main objective was to determine the key physical fitness, body composition, physical activity, health condition and environmental hazard risk outcome cutoffs and interval reference values for stratified fall risk assessment in community-dwelling older adults. Methods Five-hundred community-dwelling Portuguese older adults (72.2 ± 5.4 years) were assessed for falls, physical fitness, body composition, physical (in) activity, number of health conditions and environmental hazards, and sociodemographic characteristics. Results The established key outcomes and respective cutoffs and reference values used for fall risk stratification were multidimensional balance (low risk: score > 33, moderate risk: score 32–33, high risk: score 30–31, and very high: score < 30); lean body mass (low risk: > 44 kg, moderate risk: 42–44 kg, high risk: 39–41 kg, and very high: < 39 kg); fat body mass (low risk: < 37%, moderate risk: 37–38%, high risk: 39–42%, and very high: > 42%); total physical activity (low risk: > 2800 Met-min/wk., moderate risk: 2300–2800 Met-min/wk., high risk: 1900–2300 Met-min/wk., and very high: < 1900 Met-min/wk); rest period weekdays (low risk: < 4 h/day, moderate risk: 4–4.4 h/day, high risk: 4.5–5 h/day, and very high: > 5 h/day); health conditions (low risk: n < 3, moderate risk: n = 3, high risk: n = 4–5, and very high: n > 5); and environmental hazards (low risk: n < 5, moderate risk: n = 5, high risk: n = 6–8, and very high: n > 8). Conclusions Assessment of community-dwelling older adults’ fall risk should focus on the above outcomes to establish individual older adults’ fall risk profiles. Moreover, the design of fall prevention interventions should manage a person’s identified risks and take into account the determined cutoffs and respective interval values for fall risk stratification.

scholarly journals Multisensory integration involved in the body perception of community-dwelling older adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Hide ◽  
Y. Ito ◽  
N. Kuroda ◽  
M. Kanda ◽  
W. Teramoto
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Multisensory Integration ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
The Body ◽  
Risk Of Falling ◽  
Body Perception ◽  
Rubber Hand ◽  
Timed Up And Go ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

AbstractThis study investigates how the multisensory integration in body perception changes with increasing age, and whether it is associated with older adults’ risk of falling. For this, the rubber hand illusion (RHI) and rubber foot illusion (RFI) were used. Twenty-eight community-dwelling older adults and 25 university students were recruited. They viewed a rubber hand or foot that was stimulated in synchrony or asynchrony with their own hidden hand or foot. The illusion was assessed by using a questionnaire, and measuring the proprioceptive drift and latency. The Timed Up and Go Test was used to classify the older adults into lower and higher fall-risk groups. No difference was observed in the RHI between the younger and older adults. However, several differences were observed in the RFI. Specifically, the older adults with a lower fall-risk hardly experienced the illusion, whereas those with a higher fall-risk experienced it with a shorter latency and no weaker than the younger adults. These results suggest that in older adults, the mechanism of multisensory integration for constructing body perception can change depending on the stimulated body parts, and that the risk of falling is associated with multisensory integration.

scholarly journals Fall Risk Classification in Community-Dwelling Older Adults Using a Smart Wrist-Worn Device and the Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care: Prospective Observational Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yang ◽  
John P Hirdes ◽  
Joel A Dubin ◽  
Joon Lee
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Risk Classification ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Assessment Instrument ◽  
Classification Models ◽  
Resident Assessment ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults ◽  
Resident Assessment Instrument

BACKGROUND  Little is known about whether off-the-shelf wearable sensor data can contribute to fall risk classification or complement clinical assessment tools such as the Resident Assessment Instrument-Home Care (RAI-HC). OBJECTIVE  This study aimed to (1) investigate the similarities and differences in physical activity (PA), heart rate, and night sleep in a sample of community-dwelling older adults with varying fall histories using a smart wrist-worn device and (2) create and evaluate fall risk classification models based on (i) wearable data, (ii) the RAI-HC, and (iii) the combination of wearable and RAI-HC data. METHODS  A prospective, observational study was conducted among 3 faller groups (G0, G1, G2+) based on the number of previous falls (0, 1, ≥2 falls) in a sample of older community-dwelling adults. Each participant was requested to wear a smart wristband for 7 consecutive days while carrying out day-to-day activities in their normal lives. The wearable and RAI-HC assessment data were analyzed and utilized to create fall risk classification models, with 3 supervised machine learning algorithms: logistic regression, decision tree, and random forest (RF). RESULTS  Of 40 participants aged 65 to 93 years, 16 (40%) had no previous falls, whereas 8 (20%) and 16 (40%) had experienced 1 and multiple (≥2) falls, respectively. Level of PA as measured by average daily steps was significantly different between groups (P=.04). In the 3 faller group classification, RF achieved the best accuracy of 83.8% using both wearable and RAI-HC data, which is 13.5% higher than that of using the RAI-HC data only and 18.9% higher than that of using wearable data exclusively. In discriminating between {G0+G1} and G2+, RF achieved the best area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.894 (overall accuracy of 89.2%) based on wearable and RAI-HC data. Discrimination between G0 and {G1+G2+} did not result in better classification performance than that between {G0+G1} and G2+. CONCLUSIONS  Both wearable data and the RAI-HC assessment can contribute to fall risk classification. All the classification models revealed that RAI-HC outperforms wearable data, and the best performance was achieved with the combination of 2 datasets. Future studies in fall risk assessment should consider using wearable technologies to supplement resident assessment instruments.

scholarly journals Reliability of HOME FAST BRAZIL—Self-Reported Version for Community-Dwelling Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karina Stella Aoki Ferreira ◽  
Tamires Terezinha Gallo da Silva ◽  
Jarbas Melo Filho ◽  
Natacha Verônica Bazanella ◽  
Audrin Said Vojciechowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Environmental Risks ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Rater Reliability ◽  
Risk Of Falls ◽  
History Of ◽  
Spearman Test ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults

Objective: Verify the intra- and inter-rater reliability of the HOME FAST BRAZIL—Self-reported version and correlate household environmental risks with the history of falls by community-dwelling older adults.Method: Cross sectional study with 50 community-dwelling older adults who were screened by the cut-off point of the Mini Mental State Exam and replied to the HOME FAST BRAZIL—Self-reported version using two evaluators, on three occasions. The reliability analysis was determined by the Intra-class Correlation Coefficient (ICC), considering ICC &gt; 0.70 as adequate. To test the correlations, the Spearman test was used.Results: The mean age of the participants was 73.2 ± 5.8 years. The inter- rater reliability of HOME FAST BRAZIL—Self-reported version was ICC 0.83 (IC95%, 0.70–0.90) and the Intra- reliability ICC 0.85 (IC95%, 0.74–0.91). A risk of falls was verified in 88% of the sample and four environmental risks presented significant correlations with the history of falls.Conclusions: The HOME FAST BRAZIL—Self-reported version presented adequate reliability for the evaluation of household environmental risks for community-dwelling older adults. Risks such as inadequate armchairs/ sofas, the absence of anti-slip mats in the shower recess, the presence of pets and inadequate beds require attention in the evaluation of household risks, due to their correlation with the occurrence of falls.

Single-Session Evidence-Based Intervention and Fall Risk Awareness in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 198-206
Author(s):  
Brenda S. Howard ◽  
Fiona Brown Jones ◽  
Aundrea Sellers Steenblock ◽  
Kiersten Ham Butler ◽  
Ellen Thomas Laub ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Risk Awareness ◽  
Single Session ◽  
Community Dwelling Older Adults
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