Assessment of balance and risk of falls in people over 60 years old

Abstract

Introduction: Falls of the elderly are a significant problem for public health and healthcare. They are also included in the geriatric giants, and the assessment of balance and risk of falls is an important part of the comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA). It is estimated that almost one in three people over the age of 65 living independently in a community suffers one fall per year. These estimates increase with age, and in people older than 80 years, every second senior may experience at least one fall. The aim of the study was to assess the balance and risk of falls in people over 60 years of age living independently in society. Materials and methods: The study enrolled 40 seniors over the age of 60 who agreed to participate in the study and met the inclusion criteria. Three functional tests were used to assess balance and the risk of falls among seniors: the Timed Up and Go (TUG), the Four Square Step Test (FSST) and One-leg standing (OLS). Result: The study shows that as age increases, subjects perform worse on the Timed Up and Go rho = 0.38 test; p < 0.05 and in the Four Square Step Test rho = 0.53; p < 0.01. No statistically significant differences were observed between genders or age groups in the One Leg Standing test (OLS), although older people scored worse than younger age groups. There were no statistically significant associations between performance test results and BMI. The average results of the clinical tests show that the seniors in the study had good balance and a low risk of falling.

Keywords

• elderly
• balance
• risk of fall
• obesity
• healthy adults