Falls in the Elderly Flashcards
Falls in the elderly are linked to:
Increased morbidity and mortality
Fear of falling can predispose someone to:
Future falls
What is going to be investigated for its potential in preventing falls?
Balance confidence (perceived self-efficacy)
How many people over 65 fall every year?
1 in 3
Those who fall are at least ___ as likely to fall again
Twice
How many falls cause serious injury?
1 in 5
What % of elderly fear falling?
Around 30%
What % of people 65 and over fall in a given year?
35-40%
What % of people over 80 yo fall in a given year?
50%
What % of people 65 or older visit the ED because of a fall related injury? Of these, how many are admitted?
8% with half of these being admitted
Falls account for what percentage of fractures in the elderly?
87% of all fractures (and more than 95% of hip fractures)
What are the different types of risk factors for falls?
Extrinsic (environmental)
Intrinsic
Predictive
What are intrinsic risk factors for falls?
- Biological: weakness, gait/balance problems, poor vision
- Behavioral: meds, risky behaviors, inactivity, depression, cognitive impairment
Where do most falls occur?
In the home (85%)
Environmental risks for falls
- Home clutter/hazards
- Support surface
- Poor lighting
- Clothing
What % of falls occur in the home?
85%
If someone has 0-1 risk factors, what is their risk % of falling each year?
27%
If someone has 4 or more risk factors, what is their risk % of falling each year?
78%
Maintaining balance during body movements requires:
A reaction to restore the person’s displaced center of mass over the base of support
What does adequate postural control require?
Keeping center of gravity over base of support during BOTH static and dynamic situations
How must the body be able to respond to changes in center of gravity?
- Intentional movement
- Involuntary or unexpected movement (slips, trips)
What factors must integrate in order for postural control to occur?
Vision, vestibular and proprioceptive input by the CNS
The area over the feet within which a person is able to lean ____ with age
Decreases
What does impaired performance of static balance tasks affect?
Walking and transferring
What are the action systems in postural control?
- Higher level planning: frontal and motor cortex
- Coordination: brainstem, spinal networks coordinating muscle response synergies
- Generation: motor neurons and muscles
How can changes in postural tone be verified?
EMG
How can changes in postural tone be assessed?
Changes can be seen in certain anti-gravity muscles during normal upright standing (and can be verified with EMG)
Motor control of quiet stance consists of:
Alignment
Muscle tone
Postural tone
Which muscles are activated and contribute to postural tone at rest?
Anti-gravity muscles
- Gastroc/soleus
- Tibialis anterior
- Gluteus medius and TFL
- Iliopsoas
- Thoracic erector spinae
Why does the gastroc/soleus group activate in postural tone?
Line of gravity is anterior to knee and ankle