To analyze the relationship between understanding the risk of fall and balance performance of elderly living in the community and comparing it with their quality of life

Not yet recruiting

Conditions: Elderly above 60 years of age

Registration Number: CTRI/2022/01/039436

Lead Sponsor: Father Muller College of Allied Health Sciences

Brief Summary: Falls present a substantial health problem among the elderly. Approximately one-third of older adults fall each year which tends to be fatal. Thirty per cent of people over 65 years and 50% over 80 years old experience at least one fall each year. Evidence shows an estimated 90% of hip fractures result from these falls, leading to limited personal mobility and quality of life. Fear of fall is higher among older adults with the prior occurrence of fall as in â€œpost-fall syndromeâ€. This could diminish older adultsâ€™ confidence in performing activities of daily living, confining them at home leading to social isolation. Cognitively intact as well as impaired older adults share some well-established risk factors for falls, such as fall history, environmental hazards, motor, sensory and visual impairments. Most falls, however, do not result in significant physical injury or death, but the psychological impact of such an event can result in a fear of falling and reluctance to perform activities. Physical, psychological, and functional levels will predicate one’s fear of falling. Postural control is the foundation of our ability to stand and to walk independently for which the brain must rapidly process signals from the visual, vestibular, and somatosensory systems. Deterioration in balance function, whether a natural process related to ageing or as a result of disease, is observed much more often among the elderly than it is within younger individuals. Balance and gait impairments in older people increase the risk of falls which constitute a public health problem associated with high financial costs as well as human suffering. There is a dearth in the literature that correlates the perception of falls and impairment in balance to the quality of life among the community-dwelling elderly population.

AIM: To correlate perception of fall (POF) and balance with the quality of life (QOL) among community-dwelling elderly.

OBJECTIVES:

1. To correlate the perception of fall and balance among community-dwelling elderly

2. To associate perception of fall and balance with the quality of life among community-dwelling elderly.

PROCEDURE:

Community-dwelling elderly 60 years of age and above, with With or without any histories of falls in the past year. A fall was defined as any event in which the individual lost their balance and made contact with the floor (i.e. did not simply fall back into a chair after trying to stand up), with a score of 25 to 30 on St. Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS) scale and ability to walk with or without assistance for 10 metres will be recruited in the study. the purpose of the study will be explained to the eligible participant in their own native language and informed consent will be taken from the willing participant. The demographic data and outcome measures will be then collected.

Detailed Description: Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: Not Yet Recruiting

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 100

Inclusion Criteria

Community-dwelling elderly 60 years of age and above 2.
A score of 25 to 30 on the St. Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS) scale 3.
With or without any histories of falls in the past year.
A fall was defined as any event in which the individual lost their balance and made contact with the floor (i.e. did not simply fall back into a chair after trying to stand up).
Ability to walk with or without assistance for 10 metres.

Exclusion Criteria

Individuals with a history of significant head trauma, neurological disease (e.g Parkinsonâ€™s, post-polio syndrome, diabetic neuropathy), visual impairment not correctable with lenses, musculoskeletal impairments (e.g. amputation, joint replacement, joint fusions, joint deformity due to rheumatoid arthritis), or persistent symptoms of vertigo, light-headedness, unsteadiness.
History of surgeries in the lower extremities in the last 6 months 3.
Elderly i.e. age of 60 years and above who are institutionalized.

Study & Design

Study Type: Observational

Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Tinette Fall Efficacy Scale- International (FES-I)	At Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
WHO Quality of Life- BREF (WHOQOL-BERF)	At baseline
Functional Reach Test (FRT) / Modified Functional Reach Test (mFRT)	At baseline
Mini Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini BESTest)	At baseline

Trial Locations

Locations (1): Father Muller Medical College Hospitals
🇮🇳
Kannada, KARNATAKA, India
Father Muller Medical College Hospitals
🇮🇳Kannada, KARNATAKA, India
Alisha Austin Lobo
Principal investigator
9663676198
loboalisha90@gmail.com