After the fall? No, before it, says Karen

ROD WISE

As AGEING leads to greater vulnerability and isolation, so the risk, and the fear, of falling among those of retirement age and older, increases dramatically, with falling being a leading cause of injury, disability, hospitalisation and death among older people.

In her study of the incidence of falling among the elderly, Wollongong University PhD student Karen Mickle has utilised the services of the university’s Biomechanics Research Laboratory to identify the specific factors, rather than gradual degenerative conditions that are more likely to put at risk those over the age of 60.

“We randomly selected 300 healthy people aged 60-plus and found that over a 12-month period, 35 per cent will have at least one fall,” she said. “But of this number, 36, or about 16 per cent, fell at least twice. So our research was directed towards finding out what factors put people into a higher risk category.”

Ms Mickle said her research revealed that three factors were generally common to those with a higher risk of falling – pre-existing foot problems, pre-existing foot pain or discomfort, and the failure to undertake regular physical exercise.

For example, she said, 73 per cent of those who fell more than twice in a year suffered from chronic foot pain, while 97 per cent experienced at least one of these three factors.

The study is also examining how different types of footwear, such as slippers, athletic shoes and even bare feet, can affect stability.

“After all,” she said, “we want to be sure that falls among older people are not caused by the simple fact that slippers, due to their lack of real support, are the most common sort of footwear they are likely to be wearing around the house.”

Ms Mickle said that having reached tentative conclusions, the study would now test them by setting up a 12-week structured walking program in the Illawarra region for a new group of volunteers, hoping to get this underway very soon.

Participants will join a walking group for 12 weeks and undertake a series of laboratory-based assessments to see if a moderately intensive program of walking three days a week can improve balance and stability and thus reduce the risk of falling, she said.

Those involved will attend Nowra Private Hospital for MRI testing and all costs for travel and expenses will be covered by the study.

The actual walking program will be held wherever a large group of volunteers live. “If a large number of volunteers come from Shellharbour, we will do some of the walking there,” she said.

As to the outcomes of this second stage of the study, it is hoped that “health care professionals will be able to provide better education and advice to older people in the areas of foot health and footwear choice. This will improve their quality of life and prolong their independence.”

Those willing to participate in the study should contact Karen Mickle on 4221 4262 or 0409 180 899. They will need the consent of their GP before commencing the program.