News (June 2006)

Modifying the home and behavior can reduce fear of falling.

Laura Gitlin, one of the lead researchers in the study.

Study results suggest that modifying the home and behavior can ameliorate home hazards and fear of falling.

A recent study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) reports that implementing appropriate home modifications and behavior changes among older adults can improve their quality of life.

Researchers Gitlin, Winter, Dennis, Corcoran, Schinfeld, and Hauck (2006) conducted a study to find out whether a combination of interventions could reduce home hazards, functional difficulties, and fear of falling and improve self-efficacy in older adults with chronic conditions. The study participants consisted of 319 older adults aged 70 and older living at home who had difficulty with one or more activities of daily living.

The combination of interventions consisted of occupational and physical therapy sessions that involved the following: home modifications and training in their use; how to problem-solve, conserve energy, safely carry out activities and recover from a fall; and training in balance and muscle strength.

The complete article can be found in the May 2006 (Volume 54, Issue 5, pp. 809-816) of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, or at http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/jgs/54/5 (accessed June 8, 2006).