Home-Based Risk of Falling Assessment Test Using a Closed-Loop Balance Model.

Area of Science:

• Biomechanics
• Gerontology
• Medical Engineering

Background:

• Assessing fall risk in older adults at home is crucial for preventing injuries.
• Current methods may not accurately reflect real-time risks during daily activities.
• Developing accessible, real-time monitoring tools is a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance and simplify the assessment of fall risk in older adults within their home environment.
• To develop a real-time fall risk computation system for daily activities.
• To validate a proposed closed-loop balance model against the One-Leg Standing Test (OLST).

Main Methods:

• A closed-loop balance model was developed to simulate postural responses to unpredictable perturbations.
• The model's effectiveness was evaluated using data from 29 volunteers (10 healthy elderly, 7 Parkinson's disease patients, 12 healthy young adults).
• Center of pressure (CoP) was measured using low-cost force sensors in an instrumented insole.

Main Results:

• A strong correlation was found between the One-Leg Standing Test (OLST) scores and the calculated fall risk.
• The proposed closed-loop balance model successfully predicted fall risk based on CoP measurements.
• The system demonstrated potential for real-time fall risk assessment.

Conclusions:

• The developed system offers a promising method for real-time fall risk assessment in older adults.
• Integration into electronic health records could support long-term monitoring and early diagnosis.
• This technology can serve as a valuable diagnostic aid for healthcare professionals.