Authors: Rogers, Michael E; Rogers, Nicole L; Takeshima, Nobuo

Source: Aging Health, Volume 1, Number 3, December 2005 , pp. 475-486(12)

Publisher: Future Medicine

Abstract:

Falls represent a major public health problem for older people in the USA and abroad. Several factors may contribute to a fall and therefore the identification of risk factors is vital for developing both preventive and treatment programs. One of the most commonly identified risk factors for falling is impaired balance. An individual’s ability to balance depends on sensory (visual, vestibular and somatosensory) input and organization, muscle strength and coordination of activity, attentional capacity, disease, and medication. Research has established that impairment in any one of these factors can contribute to negative balance outcomes. Research also supports the positive effect of multidimensional intervention programs designed to target systems that control the older adult’s balance. An understanding of the systems that control balance is essential if current programs are to be implemented and if effective programs are to be designed in the future to improve balance.

Keywords: balance; exercise; intervention; muscle strength; sensory systems

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2217/1745509X.1.3.475

Affiliations: 1: 1Center for Physical Activity and Aging, Department of Kinesiology and Sport Studies, Wichita State University, Wichita, KS 67260–0016, USA., Email: michael.rogers@wichita.edu

Publication date: 2005-12-01

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• Aging Health leading coverage of current and emerging topics relating to the safe and effective management of therapy in the elderly, all subject to rigorous peer review. The journal focuses on the most important advances and highlights their relevance in the clinical setting. The journal has been designed to deliver essential concise information in an easily assimilable format - vital for the increasingly time-constrained professional.
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