One in four seniors fall annually, leading to unnecessary hospitalizations and decreased independence, with existing in-person fall prevention programs limited by access, scheduling, and cost. KINIMA Seniors is a newly developed automated interactive exercise and movement app providing real-time visual and audio feedback to assess and reduce risk of falls in seniors, using our proprietary augmented reality motion capture system. KINIMA Seniors introduces an innovative, scalable solution through a mobile app, assessing and reducing fall risks without the need for on-body sensors. It allows
Introduction. In older adults, dizziness is often experienced as a vague feeling of subjective unsteadiness, where people perceive themselves to be swaying more than they actually are. One factor that potentially drives such distorted perceptions of instability is (hyper)vigilance towards balance. This study aimed to investigate if older adults who report higher levels of trait balance vigilance (i) are more likely to report sensations of general unsteadiness when their balance is acutely threatened, and (ii) if this is accompanied by maladaptive changes in postural control. Methods. Forty
Introduction: Turning is essential to mobility, constituting 35-45% of all daily steps. Falls during turning are more severe with 7.9x greater risk of hip fracture. Reduced quality of turning has been observed in people with Parkinson’s disease (PwP). Findings suggest head and trunk control during turning are different in PwP compared to controls, however it is unclear how this relates to clinical measures. Methods: 36 PwP completed an intermittent walking task with 180 degree turns (ICICLE-Gait). An inertial measurement unit attached to the head evaluated head rotations (>30 degrees). Turning
INTRODUCTION People with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD) often report low levels of physical activity and poor health and 90% of PwPD will fall at least once[1]. Interventions to reduce falls in PwPD often involve physical therapy and exercise, however the environment is an independent risk factor for falls[2]. Exploring whether fall circumstances differ in PwPD due to health status and physical activity level will inform occupational health services and the design and development of environmental modifications. METHODS An online survey was developed to evaluate falls in adults ≥60y. Of 358
Introduction The Action Falls programme has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing falls amongst care home residents in a trial but has not been implemented widely (Logan et al, BMJ, 2021, 375, e066991). Co-production of implementation has been identified as a mechanism for achieving buy-in. This study aimed to co-produce an implementation model. Methods Systemic action research with an appreciative approach framed co-production workshops in three stakeholder groups: residents and relatives, care home staff and representatives from health and social care organisations. Topics explored were
Abstract Content - Introduction Falls are the leading cause of preventable death in older adults and can also lead to psychological consequences, including concerns about future falls. Although literature traditionally focuses on those over 65 yrs, recent research shows adults as young as 50 yrs could be at risk. Most falls occur at home and are often due to environmental hazards. Despite evidence supporting a 38% reduction in falls through home modifications, their efficacy in not fully understood. Exploring barriers and facilitators to home modifications aimed at reducing falls and concerns
Introduction: Maintaining good postural stability is considered important to prevent falls in the elderly. We evaluated factors associated with good postural stability. Methods: We evaluated 33 patients (6 males and 27 females) over 65 years old. The average age was 76.1 years old ranging 65 to 85. We measured Index of Postural Stability(IPS) using gravicoder GW-5000 manufactured by ANIMA. The IPS was advocated by Mochizuki in 2000. It was defined following this equation; IPS=log[(area of stability limit + area of postural sway)/area of postural sway). Larger IPS means better postural
Untreated osteoporosis increases the risk of fragility fractures; a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Bisphosphonates have been shown to reduce fracture risk yet can be associated with adverse side-effects . As such, their long-term use should be monitored so that maximal benefit is obtained with minimal harm to the patient. Despite this, the management of osteoporosis in primary care remains poor. The purpose of this audit was to evaluate the long-term management of patients on bisphosphonate therapy. It assessed whether individuals were placed on appropriate treatment at
Introduction: Osteoporosis is a known consequence of stroke, associated with an increased incidence of fractures and leading to further disability. The pattern of bone loss seen in stroke patients is different from that usually seen with postmenopausal osteoporosis. It depends on the degree of paresis, gait disability, and the duration of immobilisation. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from 20 patients admitted to the stroke ward. All patients with stroke aged more than 65 years were included in the data. Patients who were less than 65 years old, non-stroke patients, and patients who
BACKGROUND Counter-intuitively, a systematic review identified general walking aid use to be a risk factor for falling; some research even linked falls directly to use of walking aids. Hence walking aids’ effectiveness remains suboptimal. Yet a lack of innovation, especially with regard to indoor walking frames, persists: the front-wheeled Zimmer frame has not changed in design for decades. It was the aim of this work to completely re-think and innovate indoor walking frame design for enhanced user stability and mobility. New features include: 1) swivel wheels at the front to help turning, but
Introduction: Concerns about falling (CaF) is a psychosocial concept, precipitating a spiral of increasing inactivity, social isolation and falls, and is common in those who have experienced, or are at risk of, a fall. One method of assessing CaF is the Falls Efficacy Scale International version (FES-I),with previous studies finding associations between higher FES-I scores and poor scoring on commonly used clinical assessments of functional mobility and balance (Gait speed (GS), Timed up and Go test (TUG), and Five time sit to stand (FTSS)). Using the FES-I to predict poor functional mobility
Introduction: Approximately a third of community dwelling adults over the age of 65 fall each year, with around half experiencing more than one fall per year. Currently within North Tyneside older adults who have had a fall, or are at risk of falling, may be invited to attend a specialist falls clinic; if appropriate they may be referred to Age UK North Tyneside’s Strength and Balance Class. Improving strength and balance in those at risk is an established intervention, yet adherence to programmes, and the subsequent adoption of exercise post-intervention varies. This work aims to explore why
Introduction: Inpatient falls are the most common adverse patient safety incidents in hospitals in the UK. The assessment and management following an inpatient fall is often the responsibility of the most junior doctor on call, particularly out of hours. Frequently, there are key omissions in the assessment of these patients, leading to missed diagnoses, poor management and avoidable patient harm. This study aimed to improve the knowledge and confidence of foundation doctors in the assessment and management of inpatient falls. Method: 31 patients were identified who had suffered ‘severe harm’
Introduction: Falls account for 17% of emergency department (ED) attendances and cause significant morbidity and mortality in older people. An accurate falls risk assessment can identify those at risk of inpatient falls. At Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, the ‘Avoiding Falls Level of Observation Assessment Tool’ (AFLOAT) was developed to identify patients requiring higher levels of observation to prevent falls (Richardson DA. ClinMed (Lond). 2020; 20(6): 545-550). Whilst AFLOAT was commonly used for inpatients, it was rarely completed in ED. A multi-disciplinary and inter
Vitamin D deficiency is common amongst elderly patients resulting in fragility fractures. Following fragility fractures, patients require vitamin D to be checked prior to initiating bone protection, e.g zoledronic acid/ denosumab. Ideally, all patients should have their first dose of bone protection prior to being discharged from hospital to reduce the risks of fragility fracture. In this project, carried out in Trafford General Hospital (TGH) amongst patients from orthogeriatric wards, we had observed that the time taken for these results varied significantly depending on the hospital
Background: OPAL Team cares for elderly patients arriving at hospital front door. 80% of referrals to OPAL team are related to Falls. Early assessment and intervention reduce future risk of falls improving health outcomes. OPAL assessment proforma used for falls assessment varies widely depending on local resources. In our trust Multifactorial risk assessment (MFRA) is included in OPAL proforma to assess any patient presenting with a fall or has had two or more falls in the past six months or needs hospitalisation due to fall. Our MFRA includes assessment of Vision, Continence, Cognition
Introduction Stair falls cause approximately 230,000 injuries and 500 fatalities each year (Roys, 2001). Falls cost the NHS £4.6 million every day (AgeUK, 2010), and approximately £2 billion each year (GOV.UK, 2022), with falls on stairs accounting for the majority of these costs. However, the evidence about how to reduce stair falls is unclear. The aim of this systematic review was to establish which interventions are effective or show greatest potential to improve safety on stairs and reduce falls. Methods Five databases were searched: Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and CINAHL
Abstract Content - Introduction. When required to multitask while walking, older adults (OA) will walk slower and use maladaptive stepping strategies such as cross-steps that may increase the risk of falling. However, most studies to date have been limited to steady-state straight-line walking, which requires limited to no visual planning, which is unrepresentative of common outdoor environments. Therefore, this study aimed to (i) investigate the impact of dual-tasking during walking of complex routes, and (ii) assess if such impact can be reduced when older adults deliberately preview their
Introduction: Orthostatic hypotension is very common and increases with age, affecting about 20% of community-dwelling older adults and it increases up to 50% in long-term care units. Measuring lying and standing blood pressure (LSBP) is an important and simple bedside clinical test needed to diagnose the condition. The regulation of blood pressure depends on the baroreflexes, normal blood volume, and defenses against excessive venous pooling. These mechanisms are altered in older adults that lead to increased incidence of OH. Orthostatic hypotension leads to symptoms of dizziness, syncope
Background: Use of bisphosphonates following NOF fracture in patients over the age of 60 has extensive evidence showing up at a 50% relative reduction in fracture risk. However this is variably recorded on the immediate discharge letter (IDL) and subsequently poorly communicated to Primary Care via the emergency care summary (ECS). Aim: To review how often IV Zoledronate is used in hospital, documented in the IDL and on ECS, leading to an improvement of documentation and communication between primary and secondary/tertiary care and therefore the safer management and usage of medicines. Method