Citation

Cwikel J, Fried AV, Galinsky D, Ring H. Disabil. Rehabil. 1995; 17(6): 277-280.

Affiliation

Department of Social Work, Ben Gurion University of the Neger, Beer Sheba, Israel.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7579477

Abstract

Falls are the major cause of accidents in the elderly. Falls result from the interaction of medical, psychosocial and age-related changes with environmental conditions. Since many of these factors are amenable to change, theoretically many falls are preventable. As part of a multi-method community fall prevention programme we developed a gait assessment method (ELGAM). We report here on the association between ELGAM parameters and measures of social and physical activity, tested among 36 elderly community-dwelling persons. Social and physical activity were associated with only some of the gait parameters (turning head while walking and walking speed). However, the findings about gait are consistent with other research based on larger samples, and some of the findings from intervention research. Together they suggest the importance of social and physical activity in fall prevention programmes.

Language: en