Evaluation of Gait Characteristics and Ground Reaction Forces in Cognitively Declined Older Adults with an Emphasis on Slip-Induced Falls

Details

• Personal Author:
  Jarrott S ; Kapur R ; Kim S ; Lockhart T
• Description:
  The objective of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between gait adaptation and slip/fall risk of older adults with cognitive impairments. The study investigated the gait characteristics of six healthy older adults and five older adults with dementia. Participants walked on an instrumented walkway at their preferred walking speeds. After ensuring that the preferred walking speeds were consistent, participants' natural posture and ground reaction forces were measured. The results suggested that participants with dementia walked more cautiously yet demanded more friction at the shoe/floor interface at the time of heel contact, increasing the risk of slip initiation. To reduce the risk of slip-induced falls among older adults with dementia, specific gait training to reduce friction demand requirements by increasing the transfer speed of the whole body mass is suggested. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Accidental Falls Accidents Aging Biomechanical Phenomena Musculoskeletal System Nervous System Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Age Groups Author Keywords: Aging Biomechanics Cognition Cognitive Function Dementia Falls Gait Posture Slips, Trips, And Falls Slips And Falls STF

  More +
• ISSN:
  1040-0435
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 6 ; Texas ; Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  188-195
• Volume:
  21
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20055440
• Citation:
  Assist Technol 2009 Winter; 21(4):188-195
• Contact Point Address:
  Sukwon Kim, PhD, Industrial Engineering and Technology, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Commerce, TX 75429, USA
• Email:
  Sukwon_kim@tamu-commerce.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2010
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction ; Services
• Performing Organization:
  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  Assistive Technology
• End Date:
  20140831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:133e3eb0431316ac8f9693c2330c87b30fb5f2a4c295b025f15c39f81e58b07b572e61f6fdd65d27c041a62d37e4cf3e05c302fd0bc7b3979054a9f8d95bb315
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/213294/cdc_213294_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 249.87 KB ]