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Using Motion Capture Technology in the Instrumented Timed Up and Go Test to Detect the Risk of Falling in Aged Adults
Published on: October 25, 2024
Good memory as a predictor of falls: fact or artefact
Kim Delbaere1, Jacqueline C T Close, Nicole A Kochan
1Falls and Balance Research Group, Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, Sydney, Australia.
Age and Ageing
|February 11, 2012
Summary
Accurate fall classification in older adults is challenged by memory. Better memory in older adults increased their risk of being classified as fallers, suggesting a reporting bias.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Cognitive Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Accurate classification of older adults into fallers and non-fallers is critical for falls research.
- Fall reporting accuracy by participants is a significant limitation in current research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the influence of memory on fall reporting in older adults.
- To understand how cognitive factors affect the classification of fallers and non-fallers.
Main Methods:
- 500 community-dwelling adults aged 70-90 years participated.
- Memory and executive functioning were assessed; fall risk was estimated using the Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA).
- Falls were prospectively recorded over 12 months via falls diaries and phone calls.
Main Results:
- Worse executive functioning and PPA scores correlated with falls.
- Better memory was significantly correlated with an increased risk of being classified as a single or multiple faller.
- This association disappeared when reported injurious falls were included in the definition.
Conclusions:
- Good memory appears to influence fall recording in older adults, potentially indicating a reporting bias.
- Combining injurious falls and multiple falls may improve faller classification in research settings.
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