An Approach to the Assessment of Risk of Falls in the Elderly

BACKGROUND: Posture control involves complex reactions of dynamic and static movements, and various sensory inputs. There is evidence that exercise using multisensory stimulation is moderately effective in improving the balance of the elderly. OBJECTIVE: The main purpose of this paper was to examine the existing literature to validate the effectiveness and applicability of multisensory stimulation training. METHODS: All relevant literature published as of June 1, 2020 in four prominent databases was searched (Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of science) using the five-stage review framework proposed by Arksey and O’Malley. RESULTS: Multisensory stimulation training was more effective when vestibular and somatosensory were combined with visual stimuli, and differences in effectiveness compared to the effectiveness of existing treatments were confirmed. However, most of the reviewed papers are compared to simple strength training, and studies that compare the effects of multisensory stimulation training by setting a control group are still lacking. CONCLUSION: Further research is required to further elucidate the training conditions and treatment environment for multisensory training for the elderly at risk of falls and to provide strategies to improve treatment methods. In addition, a study that can evaluate user satisfaction in a way that best shows the treatment effect using qualitative research methods will be needed.

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HYPERTENSION IN ELDERLY:OUR CURRENT TRENDS

10.36106/ijsr/5704603 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 56-57

Author(s):

Rohit Arora ◽

D.K Sharma

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Elderly Patients ◽

The Elderly ◽

Common Disease ◽

Old Patients ◽

Current Trends ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Individualized Approach ◽

Risk Of Falls ◽

Optimal Target

Hypertension is a common disease in the elderly associated with signicant morbidity and mortality. Due to the complexity of this population, the optimal target of blood pressure (BP) control is still controversial. In this article, we conduct a literature review of trials published in English in the last 10 years which were specically designed to study the efcacy and safety of various BP targets in patients who are 70 years or older. Using these criteria, we found that the benets in the positive studies were demonstrated even with a minimal BPcontrol (systolic BP[SBP] <150 mmHg) and continued to be reported for a SBP<120 mmHg. On the other hand, keeping SBP<140 mmHg seemed to be safely achieved in elderly patients. Although the safety of lowering SBP to <120 mmHg is debated, Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial study has shown no increased risk of falls, fractures, or kidney failure in elderly patients with SBP lower than this threshold. While the recent guidelines recommended to keep BP <130/80 mmHg in the elderly, more individualized approach should be considered to achieve this goal in order to avoid undesirable complications. Furthermore, further studies are required to evaluate BPtarget in very old patients or those with multiple comorbidities.

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“ANTIAGING” EFFECTS OF EXERCISE ON BIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS: A BRIEF NARRATIVE REVIEW

Centro de Pesquisas Avançadas em Qualidade de Vida ◽

10.36692/v13n2-03r ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

JÚLIO BENVENUTTI BUENO DE CAMARGO ◽

RAFAEL SAKAI ZARONI ◽

TIAGO VOLPI BRAZ ◽

MOISÉS DIEGO GERMANO ◽

JHENIPHER MONIKY ROSOLEM ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Elderly Population ◽

The Elderly ◽

Biological Tissues ◽

Progressive Decline ◽

Morphological Aspects ◽

Functional Aspects ◽

Risk Of Falls ◽

Influence Functional ◽

Rate Of Decline ◽

Musculoskeletal Systems

Aging is characterized by a progressive decline in function and morphological aspects of biological tissues, with especial regards to cardiovascular and musculoskeletal systems. In this sense, exercise has been shown to strongly counteract these aging-induced detrimental effects. Endurance exercise (EE) has been shown to reduce the rate of decline of factors related to cardiorespiratory fitness. In addition, the adoption of resistance training (RT) may also induce relevant adaptations, especially related to increased muscle strength and power levels, that have shown to positively influence functional aspects as improved balance and reduced risk of falls in the elderly population. Then, the aim of the present study is to briefly review the exercise literature regarding its mechanisms that could potentially present “antiaging” effects.

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Effect of vitamin D level and polypharmacy on the risk of falls in the elderly

Experimental Biomedical Research ◽

10.30714/j-ebr.2021267970 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 81-88

Author(s):

Gamze Dilek ◽

Yalkin Calik ◽

Kagan Ozkuk

Keyword(s):

Vitamin D ◽

The Elderly ◽

Risk Of Falls

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Does the Management of Visual and Audible Motion Information during an Immersive Virtual Reality Timed Up and Go Test Impact Locomotor Performance in the Elderly?

Gerontology ◽

10.1159/000517286 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Frédéric Muhla ◽

Karine Duclos ◽

Fabien Clanché ◽

Philippe Meyer ◽

Séverine Maïaux ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Motor Control ◽

Optical Flow ◽

Fear Of Falling ◽

The Elderly ◽

Public Health Issue ◽

Immersive Virtual Reality ◽

Timed Up And Go ◽

Friedman's Test ◽

Risk Of Falls

Background/Aims: Falling among the elderly is a major public health issue, especially with the advancing age of the baby boomers. The fall risk assessment tests for many lack a context that would bring them closer to everyday life. Thus, immersive virtual reality, which makes it possible to simulate everyday situations, could make it possible to strengthen the quality of the assessment of the risk of falls. However, it is necessary to understand how the use of a virtual reality device influences the motor control of elderly participants. If vestibular physiotherapists use VR to virtualize their tools, what impact would a visual simulation of movement have on motor control in a locomotor task, if this simulation were plausible? Methods: Sixty-two elders (70.8 ± 6.7 years old) completed a Timed Up and Go task under 3 conditions: real, virtual reality, and virtual reality with visual and sound movement information. The virtual reality task takes place in a train either stationary at a station or in uniform linear motion. The time and number of steps were recorded using video, and comparisons between conditions were made using Friedman’s test. Results: The results show a significant increase in the time and number of steps in “virtual reality” condition compared to the “real” condition. They do not show significant differences between the 2 virtual conditions. Conclusion: The use of a running virtual train to provide plausible movement is particularly distinguished from vestibular physiotherapy applications with first a fixed visual support partially obscuring the optical flow. This visual aid coupled with the attention dedicated to the task inhibits the effect of the moving environment on locomotion. However, the visual optical flow will potentially have an effect in people with fear of falling. Virtual reality shows great potential for the simulation of realistic environments for the assessment of the risk of falls and opens up avenues for the development of tests.

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Do thiazides increase the risk of falls in the elderly?

Evidence-Based Practice ◽

10.1097/ebp.0000000000001296 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽

Author(s):

Benjamin Gilbert ◽

Kathryn Lankton ◽

Richard Hanley ◽

Shurooq Khan ◽

Andrew Pawliwec

Keyword(s):

The Elderly ◽

Risk Of Falls

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Lower limb muscle coactivation levels in healthy younger and older adults during functional dual-task gait

Motriz Revista de Educação Física ◽

10.1590/s1980-65742013000300013 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 620-626 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Camilla Zamfolini Hallal ◽

Nise Ribeiro Marques ◽

Edgar Ramos Vieira ◽

Denis Brunt ◽

Deborah Hebling Spinoso ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dual Task ◽

Lower Limb ◽

Tibialis Anterior ◽

Cognitive Task ◽

The Elderly ◽

Young Female ◽

Physically Active ◽

Lower Limb Muscles ◽

Normal Gait ◽

Risk Of Falls

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of daily cognitive task on stiffness of old and young female adults during the gait. The study included 17 physically active younger and 18 older women, with low risk of falls. The volunteers were asked to walk on the treadmill at two different gait conditions: normal gait and functional dual-task gait. The electromyographic signals were collected of the lower limb muscles. The percentage of coactivation for the tibialis anterior/gastrocnemius lateralis and tibialis anterior/soleus were significantly higher in elderly than in younger in the normal gait and dual-task gait. Our results suggest that the elderly have a greater stiffness in the ankle joint during gait normal and daily dual task gait. Thus, we conclude that challenging cognitively situations during the gait may increase the risk of falls in this population.

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