Mobility in Older Adults Flashcards
When do many of the falls in older adults occur?
During walking
Falls are the __ leading cause of death in people over 75 years old.
7th
What are 5 contributors to the changes in gait parameters in older adults?
- Balance/postural control
- Reduced sensory information
- Cognitive factors
- Changes in proactive and reactive locomotor abilities
- Pathology (neurologic, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal disorder)
Older adults tend to have ______ and _____ stride length compared to young adults
shorter and wider
Older adults tend to have shorter ______ head movements and larger _____ head movements during gait
vertical
lateral
Older adults also toe__
out
In older adults stance phase is _____ and swing phase is _____.
longer
shorter
In what position do older adults tend to hold their shoulders in during gait?
in more of an extension pattern
What 2 things can cause changes in gait?
- neurologic impairments
- aging
What is the reported minimal walking speed required for an older adult to safely cross a city street?
1.4 m/s
What are 6 kinematic changes that occur as one ages?
- Decreased arm swing
- Decreased hip, knee, and ankle flexion
- Flatter foot on heel strike
- Decreased ability to co-vary hip/knee movement
- Decreased dynamic stability during stance
- Decreased vertical movement of the CoG / CoG
How is the metabolic cost of walking reduced?
Mechanical energy is transferred, which requires sinusoidal fluctuation of CoM
What are 2 kinetic changes that occur in older adults?
- Decreased power generation at push-off
- Decreased power absorption at heel strike
What happens to muscle activation as one ages?
It increases at specific points in the gait cycle in an attempt to improve stability
Why do older people experience more stiffness during gait as they age?
They have a tendency to coactivate the agonist and antagonist muscles to improve stability
What happens to proactive locomotory abilities as one ages?
It takes one a longer time to adapt to obstacles in the environment, which means older adults may need to begin making modifications to gait patterns in the step prior to a step requiring obstacle avoidance.
__-__% of falls in older adults are due to tripping over an object
35-47
What muscles are critical to balance recovery?
Hip flexors of the swing leg and plantarflexors of the stance leg
What is the difference in muscle activation between younger and older adults falling a trip?
The magnitude and rate of development of muscle activity is significantly lower in older adults
__-__% of falls in older adults are due to slips
27-32
What movements occur in an older adult in response to a forward slip in comparison to younger adults?
Older adults show greater trunk hyperextension and higher arm elevation in response to a slip than young adults
True or False
Even though a subject may be considered pathology-free there may be subtle pathologies that may cause changes in gait
True
What is another important requirement for gait function?
attention
In a study younger and older adults were asked to walk on a treadmill and step over obstacles as they approached. They were also asked to verbally respond once a light was turned one. What did this study find?
The older adults came into contact with the obstacles more often than the younger adults, which indicates a decreased ability to perform a secondary task while walking.
