Circumstances of falls among older adult walker users in long-term care and the associated walker design deficits.

Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in older adults. Walkers are often used by and prescribed to this population to reduce fall risk, however, walker users and walker non-users alike experience similar fall incidence rates. The role of walkers in preventing falls is unclear a...

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Publicado en:Assistive Technology Vol. 36; no. 3; pp. 248 - 254
Autores principales: Nickerson, Kimberly A., Diaz, Kailey, Muir, Brittney C.
Formato: research tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: Taylor & Francis Ltd 2024
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      pub: Taylor & Francis Ltd
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        10.1080/10400435.2023.2267623
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        atl: Circumstances of falls among older adult walker users in long-term care and the associated walker design deficits.
      aug:
        au:
          Nickerson, Kimberly A.
          Diaz, Kailey
          Muir, Brittney C.
        affil: Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
      sug:
        subj:
          Nursing Home Residents
          Accidental Falls Risk Factors
          Long Term Care
          Walkers Utilization
          Equipment Design
          Risk Assessment
          Accidental Falls Prevention and Control
          Walkers Adverse Effects
          Human
          Male
          Female
          Aged
          Aged, 80 and Over
          Videorecording
          Descriptive Statistics
          Coding
          Accidental Falls Adverse Effects
          Accidental Falls Epidemiology
          United States
          Aged: 65+ years
          Aged, 80 & over
          Male
          Female
      ab: Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in older adults. Walkers are often used by and prescribed to this population to reduce fall risk, however, walker users and walker non-users alike experience similar fall incidence rates. The role of walkers in preventing falls is unclear as some studies suggest walkers may be a fall-inciting factor. The purpose of this study was to analyze walker deficits by evaluating the circumstances and causes of falls in older adult walker users residing in long-term care facilities. Videos capturing 34 real-life falls involving wheeled walkers (rollators and two-wheeled walkers) in two retirement facilities were analyzed for 3 themes: walker type, fall direction, and activity at the time of fall. A frequency analysis of these themes was performed to determine common fall mechanisms. The results of this study suggest two-wheeled walker and rollator users most often fall sideways while turning and backward during weight transfer, respectively. Poor maneuverability, lateral stability, and wheel velocity control of the walkers contributed to the falls. Device improvements addressing these areas of deficiency may be necessary to mitigate falls occurring in older adult walker users.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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