Participants aged 70 years or older who had two or more falls or one injurious fall in past 12 months, recruited from Veteran’s Affairs databases and general practice databases in Sydney, Austraila. Exclusion criteria were moderate to severe cognitive problems, inability to ambulate independently, neurological conditions that severely influenced gait and mobility, resident in a nursing home a week), and sham control programme (n=105; gentle exercise). LiFE and structured groups received five sessions with two booster visits and two phone calls; controls received three home visits and six phone calls. Assessments made at baseline and after six and 12 months. Results found a significant reduction of 31% in the rate of falls for the LiFE programme compared with controls; the corresponding
Participants aged 70 years or older who had two or more falls or one injurious fall in past 12 months, recruited from Veteran’s Affairs databases and general practice databases in Sydney, Austraila. Exclusion criteria were moderate to severe cognitive problems, inability to ambulate independently, neurological conditions that severely influenced gait and mobility, resident in a nursing home or hostel, or any unstable or terminal illness that would affect ability to do exercises. Three home based interventions were tested: Lifestyle integrated Functional Exercise (LiFE) approach (n=107; taught principles of balance and strength training and integrated selected activities into everyday routines), structured programme (n=105; exercises for balance and lower limb strength, done three times a week), and sham control programme (n=105; gentle exercise). LiFE and structured groups received five sessions with two booster visits and two phone calls; controls received three home visits and six phone calls. Assessments made at baseline and after six and 12 months. Results found a significant reduction of 31% in the rate of falls for the LiFE programme compared with controls; the corresponding difference between the structured group and controls was non-significant. Static balance on an eight level hierarchy scale, ankle strength, function, and participation were significantly better in the LiFE group than in controls. LiFE and structured groups had a significant and moderate improvement in dynamic balance, compared with controls. It was found that the LiFE programme provides an effective alternative to traditional exercise to consider for fall prevention. Functional based exercise should be a focus for interventions to protect older, high risk people from falling and to improve and maintain functional capacity.
British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 69(6), June 2006, pp.263-270.
Publisher:
Sage
Although targets have been set for the establishment of falls prevention services, little is known about the views of older people in respect of such initiatives. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of the older participants in a community group falls prevention programme in Australia and to explore their views about the most and least useful aspects of the programme, using methods deriving from a grounded theory approach. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with nine women and two men who had attended a falls prevention programme. The multifaceted intervention comprised seven weekly meetings of 2 hours each. The key principle underpinning the programme was enhancement of self-efficacy. Four themes were identified through qualitative analysis: identity of a fall did not feature prominently in these interviews. It may be more meaningful to older people to embed falls prevention within a wider context of wellbeing and independence.
Although targets have been set for the establishment of falls prevention services, little is known about the views of older people in respect of such initiatives. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of the older participants in a community group falls prevention programme in Australia and to explore their views about the most and least useful aspects of the programme, using methods deriving from a grounded theory approach. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with nine women and two men who had attended a falls prevention programme. The multifaceted intervention comprised seven weekly meetings of 2 hours each. The key principle underpinning the programme was enhancement of self-efficacy. Four themes were identified through qualitative analysis: identity (focusing on participants as active elders); the salience of interventions (or the meaning attributed to different programme components); the social experience (the views about group interaction); and the consequences of participation. The participants were very positive about their experience of the programme and described a range of psychological and physical outcomes. A decrease in the likelihood of a fall did not feature prominently in these interviews. It may be more meaningful to older people to embed falls prevention within a wider context of wellbeing and independence.
Subject terms:
intervention, older people, prevention, user views, attitudes, falls;