Citation

Nagamatsu LS, Voss M, Neider MB, Gaspar JG, Handy TC, Kramer AF, Liu-Ambrose TY. Psychol. Aging 2011; 26(2): 253-259.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/a0022929

PMID

21463063

PMCID

PMC3123036

Abstract

Successful mobility requires appropriate decision-making. Seniors with reduced executive functioning-such as senior fallers-may be prone to poor mobility judgments, especially under dual-task conditions. We classified participants as "At-Risk" and "Not-At-Risk" for falls using a validated physiological falls-risk assessment. Dual-task performance was assessed in a virtual reality environment where participants crossed a simulated street by walking on a manual treadmill while listening to music or conversing on a phone. Those "At-Risk" experienced more collisions with oncoming cars and had longer crossing times in the Phone condition compared to controls. We conclude that poor mobility judgments during a dual-task leads to unsafe mobility for those at-risk for falls. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved).

Language: en