Fear of Falling and Environmental Factors: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Fear of falling is a geriatric condition that must be understood from both a clinical perspective and from the environment in which older adults live. This review aimed to describe the scientific evidence reported in the last 5 years regarding the fear of falling in older adults and its relationship with environmental factors. The relationships between fear of falling and environmental factors are mainly evidenced in the built environment. Older adults with a fear of falling are described as perceiving the built environment as dangerous when they do not meet the requirements of safety, accessibility, and comfort; they also report the importance of living in communities with controlled crime levels and available social support for older adults to improve their insecurity and feelings of vulnerability.

Keywords

• fear of falling
• environment
• aged
• healthy aging