Service Learning: Advocating for Reduction of Fall Risks in the Elderly

2006 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 64-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margaret Barry Michaels ◽  
Barbara Billek-Sawhney
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Fall Risks

scholarly journals Service Learning Collaborations: A Formula for Reciprocity

2010 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-134 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura A. Lowe ◽  
Victoria L. Medina
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Professional Growth ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Death And Dying ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Mixed Methodology ◽  
Educational Institutions

Service learning offers opportunities for both educational institutions and the community. To demonstrate the possibilities this pedagogy can offer, this article discusses a service learning experience partnering students with a hospice agency. Using mixed methodology, impact on students, patients, and staff are examined. Results indicate that students improved their attitudes toward the elderly, and death and dying; they also believed the experience caused personal and professional growth. Interviews with patients highlighted the importance of relationships and recognition, and staff identified benefits to students, patients, and the hospice agency. The conclusion is made that service learning is best perceived in a light of reciprocity and that this method of engagement offers opportunities for educators and practitioners. Finally, some tips are given for practitioners interested in developing such collaborations.

scholarly journals Service Learning on Inclusive Design: Sidewalk Redesign for Siwalankerto, Surabaya, Indonesia

2018 ◽  
Vol 59 ◽  
pp. 01013
Author(s):  
Gunawan Tanuwidjaja ◽  
Claudia Levina ◽  
Cynthia Tandiono ◽  
Christian Tandiono
Keyword(s):  
Service Learning ◽  
Research Program ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Inclusive Design ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Wheelchair Users ◽  
Public Facilities ◽  
Vision Disability

Public facilities and transportation infrastructure were very important for all residents including Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). Sidewalk should be safe and easy to use for all kind of users, ranging from the elderly, children, and the PwDs including wheelchair users, visual impairment, low vision disability, etc. The sidewalk should be safe, which means it should be inclusive yet also meets the standards. The Service Learning and research program in Petra Christian University’s Architecture Program was conducted with literature study, observation, discussion and interviews with users at Siwalankerto street’s sidewalks. The design would be implemented in Petra's area in the following year.

Balance Problems and Fall Risks in the Elderly

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramon Cuevas-Trisan
Keyword(s):  
The Elderly ◽  
Fall Risks ◽  
Balance Problems

scholarly journals Falls in institutionalized elderly with and without cognitive decline A study of some factors

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 116-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Lavareda Baixinho ◽  
Maria dos Anjos Dixe ◽  
Carla Madeira ◽  
Sílvia Alves ◽  
Maria Adriana Henriques
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Timed Up And Go ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
Institutionalized Elderly ◽  
Mental Deterioration ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Fall Risks ◽  
And Behaviors

ABSTRACT. Falls in long-stay institutions for elderly people have a high prevalence, contributing to the physical and mental deterioration of institutionalized elderly. Objective: To determine the prevalence of falls among institutionalized elderly with and without cognitive decline, and to characterize the practices and behaviors of those with and without cognitive decline in managing fall risks, and relate them to some factors. Methods: The present correlational study was carried out with a sample of 204 institutionalized elderly, 50% of whom had cognitive decline. Results: The elderly with cognitive decline (40.2%) fell less often than those who did not have cognitive decline (42.2%) (p>0.05). Safety practices and behaviors were better in the elderly with cognitive decline (p<0.05). Most of the elderly with cognitive decline who fell took benzodiazepines (65.9%), in contrast with those without cognitive decline (32.2%). It was observed that 81.4% of the elderly without cognitive decline and 43.9% of those with cognitive decline who fell had a performance of over 12 seconds on the Timed Up and Go Test, where differences reached statistical significance in both groups of elderly. Conclusion: Data collected in the present study further the knowledge on risk factors in the genesis of falls and on the behavior of elderly with and without cognitive decline in maintaining their safety in self-care and accessibility.

scholarly journals Community Ageing With Health And Dignity Through A Service-Learning Initiative

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. S11-17
Author(s):  
Hiu Lam Yee ◽  
Ben Y.F Fong ◽  
Tommy K.C NG ◽  
Billie S.M Chow
Keyword(s):  
Applied Sciences ◽  
Service Learning ◽  
Professional Education ◽  
Community Setting ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Executive Development ◽  
Bachelor Of Science ◽  
Reflective Journals ◽  
Health Studies

Background: A new compulsory service-learning subject was introduced in the Practices of Health Promotion module of Bachelor of Science in Applied Sciences (Health Studies), run by School of Professional Education and Executive Development, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. It aims to develop students’ ability to apply learned principles and concepts of health behaviour from lectures into a community setting, by completing elderly site services arranged at four selected elderly centres. Methods: 36 students were enrolled in the subject. An analytical framework was developed based on specific themes, sub-categories and categories. Data extracted from students’ reflective journals were input into a qualitative analysis software, Qualitative Data Analysis (QDA) Miner 5 of Provalis Prosuite for analysis.  Results: 5 themes and 24 categories were created based on the data analysed from students’ reflective journals. The three highest frequency themes are ‘Skills learned’ (170 text units, 32.6% of total), ‘Challenges’ (140 text units, 26.8% of total), and ‘Elders characteristics’ (135 text units, 25.9% of total). Conclusions: Communication, teamwork and organising activities to the elderly are the most cited skills learned by students. They have also identified elders’ personality and characteristic when communicating with them. Although there were challenges when interacting with the recipients and centres, students have overcome most of them and have learned better ways to communicate with elders and reacted quickly by changing the content of designed activities provided to elders. 

scholarly journals An analysis of the risk factors for falls, recurrent falls, and fall-related injuries among the elderly in senior Chinese apartments: a cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qingqing Su ◽  
Mi Song ◽  
Jie Zhang ◽  
Yazhan Mao ◽  
Jie Song ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Urinary Incontinence ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Recurrent Falls ◽  
Unsteady Gait ◽  
Fall Risks ◽  
Risk Factors For Falls

Abstract Objective Falls, recurrent falls, and fall-related injuries among the elderly are severe problems that seriously threaten the quality of life and health in old age. However, there are few studies on fall risks among the elderly living in senior apartments in China. Our study aims to investigate the factors and differences in falls, recurrent falls, and fall-related injuries among these elderly residents, providing a reference for screening those with high fall risks. Method Face-to-face structured interviews were conducted on 331 older adults over 65 years of age living in four senior apartments. We performed comparative analyses on the results of fall events with two separate criteria (falls vs. no falls; number of falls ≤ 1 and without injury vs. fall-related injuries or number of falls ≥ 2). Several significant variables were involved in a logistic model for regression analysis. Results Falls, recurrent falls, and fall-related injuries among the elderly in senior apartments were independently associated with gender (female), urinary incontinence/frequency, and conscious unsteady gait. Furthermore, fall risks increased with age and the number of risk factors. The AUC, sensitivity, and specificity of the fall risk prediction model were 0.749, 82.4%, and 57.1%, respectively. Conclusions Falls among the elderly in senior apartments are affected by several factors. Female elderly with urinary incontinence/frequency and conscious unsteady gait should be prioritized for fall prevention interventions.

scholarly journals Tai Chi practitioners have lower fall risks under dual-task conditions during stair descending

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0246292
Author(s):  
Yang Li ◽  
Qipeng Song ◽  
Li Li ◽  
Wei Sun ◽  
Cui Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Dual Task ◽  
Tai Chi ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Center Of Mass ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Camera Motion ◽  
Dual Task Condition ◽  
Risk Of Falls ◽  
Fall Risks ◽  
Foot Clearance

Stairs are among the most hazardous locations, and stair descending contributes to a high risk of falls among the elderly under dual-task (DT) conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the practitioners of Tai Chi (TC), one type of mind-body exercise, have lower fall risks under DT conditions during stair descending, compared with their no-exercise (NE) counterparts. Fifteen TC practitioners with at least 10 years of experience in TC and fifteen NE participants were recruited in this study. They were asked to descend a six-step staircase under single-task (ST) and DT conditions. An eight-camera motion analysis system and two force plates were used for data collection. Results showed group by DT interactions in walking velocity (p = 0.016) and center of mass–center of pressure inclination angle (COM–COP IA) in the anteroposterior directions (p = 0.026). Group effects observed with foot clearance (p = 0.031), trunk (p = 0.041) and head (p = 0.002) tilt angles, and COM–COP IA in the mediolateral (p = 0.006) directions. Significant DT effects only detected in foot clearance (p = 0.004). Although both groups of participants adopted a more cautious gait strategy under the dual-task condition, the TC practitioners were less influenced by the DT paradigm than their NE counterparts. Our observations indicated that TC practitioners have lower fall risks under DT conditions during stair descending.

New dorsiflexion measure device: A simple method to assess fall risks in the elderly

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 563-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenji Toba ◽  
Kumiko Nagai ◽  
Sayaka Kimura ◽  
Yukiko Yamada ◽  
Ayako Machida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Elderly ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Fall Risks

scholarly journals Scanning Laser Rangefinders for the Unobtrusive Monitoring of Gait Parameters in Unsupervised Settings

Sensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 3424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian Fudickar ◽  
Christian Stolle ◽  
Nils Volkening ◽  
Andreas Hein
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Decline ◽  
Stride Length ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Scanning Laser ◽  
Gait Velocity ◽  
Preventive Interventions ◽  
Homes For The Elderly ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Fall Risks ◽  
Gait Monitoring

Since variations in common gait parameters (such as cadence, velocity and stride-length) of elderly people are a reliable indicator of functional and cognitive decline in aging and increased fall risks, such gait parameters have to be monitored continuously to enable preventive interventions as early as possible. With scanning laser rangefinders (SLR) having been shown to be suitable for standardised (frontal) gait assessments, this article introduces an unobtrusive gait monitoring (UGMO) system for lateral gait monitoring in homes for the elderly. The system has been evaluated in comparison to a GAITRite (as reference system) with 86 participants (ranging from 21 to 82 years) passing the 6-min walk test twice. Within the considered 56,351 steps within an overall 7877 walks and approximately 34 km distance travelled, it has been shown that the SLR Hokuyo UST10-LX is more sensitive than the cheaper URG-04LX version in regard to the correct (automatic) detection of lateral steps (98% compared to 77%) and walks (97% compared to 66%). Furthermore, it has been confirmed that the UGMO (with the SLR UST10-LX) can measure gait parameters such as gait velocity and stride length with sufficient sensitivity to determine age- and disease-related functional (and cognitive) decline.

Center of Pressure Measurement to Evaluate Fall Risk in the Elderly

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 108-116
Author(s):  
Chong Min Hong
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Pressure Measurement ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Measurement Data ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Standing Position ◽  
Measurement Device ◽  
Fall Risks

The aim of this article was to develop a center of pressure (COP) measurement device and application to evaluate the fall risk among the elderly. The approach was designed to measure changes in COP in a standing position to assess balance, an important risk factor in falling. The developed approach consisted of both hardware and software; the hardware's function was to measure the sway in COP while the software controlled the device, displayed the results, and stored the data. Data was transmitted from device to tablet or smartphone via Bluetooth. This approach to COP measurement was configured as a dedicated application, making it easier for the elderly to measure their own COP for evaluating balance and fall risks using the measurement data. In conclusion, this device is easy and convenient for the elderly to use in their daily life and could help with fall management and prevention.

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