View clinical trials related to Falls.
Filter by:A falls prevention clinic opened in Montpellier (France) in 2015. The objective of the project is to evaluate whether the tailored multifactorial programme delivered in this real practice setting by a geriatrician, a podiatrist, a physiotherapist, and a occupational therapist would help prevent injuries in high-risk older patients using a 6-month pre-post intervention analysis.
Accumulating evidence supports that more pain, whether measured by number of pain sites or pain severity, is associated with poorer cognitive function and mobility, and fall risk in older persons. Tai Chi which holistically integrates physical and cognitive functions offers the possibility not only of alleviating pain but also improving attention and mobility in the many older adults who have chronic multisite pain. This proposed full-size randomized controlled Tai Chi trial is a direct extension of our previous work examining chronic pain, attention demands, mobility and falls in the older population, and is built on the investigators' National Institute on Aging-supported Tai Chi feasibility and acceptability pilot study among older adults with multisite pain and risk for falls. The goal of this single-blinded randomized controlled trial is to examine the effects of a 24-week Tai Chi intervention on chronic pain, cognition, mobility, fear of falling, and rates of total and injurious falls in older adults with multisite pain and at risk for falls. The results of this study will provide a foundation to establish the clinical significance of Tai Chi in the management of chronic multisite pain and to explore the mechanisms through which Tai Chi improves chronic pain symptoms and lowers rates of total and injurious falls in at-risk older adults.
The risk of falling affects more than one third of people over 65 years old and over 50% of persons over 80 years. These falls have important consequences for the autonomy of the elderly patient and also increase the risk of sequelae and death. The goal of this study is to evaluate a personalized rehabilitation program for elderly patients that fall for the first time and to measure the impact on the fear of falling of these patients. This intervention is a home-based program combining exercises, home modifications and education on fall risk factors.
Medical alert devices with automatic fall detection functionality use accelerometry to detect a fall and can signal for help if the wearer forgets to, or is incapable of, pressing the alert button. This can save lives and prevent complications associated with long periods of time spent on the floor after a fall. In this project, the sensitivity and false alarm rate of a commercially available medical alert device will be tested in a population of 200 community-dwelling older adults.
The proportion of people aged 60 and over in the French population has increased from 18% in 1970 to over 22% in 2010. One major problem in the elderly is falling. About half of these falls cause a minor injury and between 5% and 25% will cause a more serious injury such as a fracture or a sprain (Alexander et al., 1992; Nevitt et al., 1991). It therefore seems essential to study the locomotion of seniors to limit the maximum risk of falling into a public health measure. Two factors may be involved: 1. The first corresponds to factors related to natural aging topics 2. The second is the environment that is a real problem for seniors (Rolling showers, presence of works ....) And especially the port of inappropriate footwear. Indeed, most of the elderly, institutionalized or not, do not wear proper shoes. It is this parameter that will be highlighted in our study.
The WHISH trial applies state-of-the science behavioral principles and currently available technologies to deliver a physical activity intervention without face-to-face contact to ~25,000 older U.S. women expected to consent. It includes the National Institute of Aging (NIA) Go4Life® Exercise & Physical Activity materials 3 and WHISH developed targeted materials based on Go4Life® to provide inspirational tips and recommendations about how to achieve nationally recommended levels of PA and overcome barriers to exercise, with a means for self-monitoring and setting personal goals. The intervention builds upon evidence-based behavioral science principles and intervention components that have proven to be effective in increasing PA in older women, with innovative adaptive approaches to tailoring the delivery to meet individual (personal) needs.
As the geriatric population continues to rise, the consequences of falls and fall-related injuries carry increasing socioeconomic significance. Fall during turning is 7.9 times more likely to result in hip fracture than a fall while walking straight. Hence, turning carries a significant risk for hip fracture. Turning is ubiquitous during activities of daily living, yet most gait research has focused on straight ahead walking. Turning affects lower limb kinematics, kinetics, and step parameters. Therefore it appears to be a greater challenge for individuals with mobility problems. Turning ability is affected by age changes and balance confidence. TURN180 test was built to assess the parameters of turning. It has four major categories which are the most readily identified indictors of difficulty in turning while walking. These categories are: (1) the type of turn (or strategy) used to accomplish the turn, (2) the number of steps taken during the turn, (3) the time taken to accomplish the turn, and (4) staggering during the turn. The purpose of this study is to explore the TURN180 test ability to evaluate the risk of falling in the elderly population and compare it to the known gold standard clinical test. This is a validation study of balance and mobility tests using a three-group sample of convenience. The independent elderly subjects (n=75) will be divided into three groups according to their falls history and undergo four balance tests: Timed "Up and Go" test (TUG), Tinetti Balance Test (Tinetti), Berg Balance Scale (BBS). The participants will be videotaped while performing the TUG test. Basic temporospatial aspects of turning during walking such as the number of steps taken during the turn and the time taken to accomplish the turn will be measured using both the slow-motion and stop-action capabilities of the VCR system and a time-code processor.
Blocking sensation from the femoral nerve by injecting local anesthetic around the nerve plays an important role in pain control after total knee replacement. However, femoral nerve block has been associated with increased risk of falls due to weakness of the thigh muscle. This prospective, randomized controlled trial asks the question whether blocking the more distal branch of the femoral nerve (saphenous nerve) will result in less muscle motor block, and thus less risk of falls. The study also aims to compare pain control after both techniques.
Vitamin D supplements might substantially reduce the risk of falls, potentially by more than 25%. The proposed study is a clinical trial that will determine the effects of 4 doses of vitamin D (200 International Units [IU]/day, 1000 IU/day, 2000 IU/d and 4000 IU/d) as a means to prevent falls in high-risk adults, ages 70 and older. Results of this trial will be directly relevant to public health and clinical guidelines, and will immediately influence policy.
Losses of muscular fitness/balance are common occurrences with aging that can lead to an increased fall-risk. The accelerated bone loss that may accompany menopause makes some women even more "at-risk" for serious consequences related to falling. Interventions to reduce fall-risk have been conducted in an attempt to improve balance or muscular fitness, but often these interventions require monotonous exercises that don't arouse enough long-term interest to elicit the improvements. In other words, while the intervention may be beneficial, participants quit before they can realize any gains. Currently, there is little research that uses novel technology-based programs to promote balance exercises among middle-aged women. The Wii Fit system includes various strength and balance exercises integrated into games intended to have the participant have fun and retain interest, while also improving fitness. By using such a program, women could potentially improve their balance and decrease their fall risk in a way that is fun and exciting. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a Wii Fit based exercise program on balance/muscular fitness/markers of bone health in women between the ages of 45-60 with low bone mass. Volunteers who have moderately low bone levels (n = 28) will be randomly assigned to either the Wii Fit exercise intervention or a normally active control. Balance ability, muscular fitness, body composition, physical activity levels and markers of bone health will be assessed before and after the intervention. Each participant in the intervention will be provided a pre-programmed Wii Fit console and balance board to use at home. The intervention will consist of a 12-week program that they perform 30 minutes a day 3 days a week. The exercises include 10 minutes of Yoga poses and strength exercises and then 20 minutes of balance games such as soccer heading, ski slalom and table tilt. At the 6 week point and the conclusion of the intervention, participants will come to the lab for testing on the same tests done initially. The overall goal of this study is to gauge the efficacy of this intervention to improve balance, fitness, and bone health in at-risk women. This project is important because it offers an exciting, fun, and motivating way to impact fall-risk before clinical symptoms develop. Overall, this intervention could significantly reduce healthcare dollars spent on fall-related outcomes, as well as reduce fall-related mortality.