Fear of Falling, Community Participation, and Quality of Life Among Community-Dwelling People Who Use Wheelchairs Full Time

Abstract Prior research suggests that diabetes is a risk factor for falling. Moreover, older adults with diabetes are more likely to experience hip fractures when compared to older adults without diabetes. Research has also shown a relationship between fear of falling and quality of life. This study aimed to examine the moderating role of diabetes in the relationship between fear of falling (FoF) and quality of life (QoL) among older adults in a program for all-inclusive care for the elderly (PACE). This was a retrospective single cohort study that included 84 older adults in a PACE program located in the Northeastern United States. Participants were 55 years of age or older (M=70.33; SD=6.46) and cognitively intact. Diabetes diagnosis (n=46) was determined according to chart review. Fear of Falling was assessed with the Falls Efficacy Scale-International, and the Short Form 12v2 (SF-12v2) was used to measure the quality of life, including physical and mental domains. Hayes’ Process Macro was used to conduct moderation analyses (model 1) controlling race, gender, age, and comorbidities. Alpha was set at .10 to account for low power to detect interaction effects with small groups. Our results indicate the interaction between diabetes status and FoF was significant for mental QoL (p=.09) and not significant for physical QoL (p=.99). The association between FoF with lower mental QoL was stronger for patients with diabetes than for patients without diabetes; this finding was not replicated for physical QoL. Regardless of diabetes status, physical QoL significantly decreased as FoF increased.

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Mediating factors on the association between fear of falling and health-related quality of life in community-dwelling German older people: a cross-sectional study

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-020-01802-6 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sophie Gottschalk ◽

Hans-Helmut König ◽

Michael Schwenk ◽

Carl-Philipp Jansen ◽

Corinna Nerz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Functional Capacity ◽

Fear Of Falling ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Health Related Quality ◽

Related Quality ◽

Health Related ◽

Descriptive System ◽

Eq Vas

Abstract Background Previous research has shown that not only falls, but also fear of falling (FoF) influences health-related quality of life (HrQoL) negatively. The EQ-5D (consisting of an index and a visual analogue scale [EQ-VAS]) is a frequently used instrument to determine HrQoL in clinical studies and economic evaluations, but no previous study compared the association between FoF and the EQ-5D index with the association between FoF and the EQ-VAS. Moreover, factors that influence the association between FoF and HrQoL are rarely examined. Thus, this study aimed to examine the association between FoF and HrQoL and to examine factors that mediate the association. Methods FoF (Short Falls Efficacy Scale International) and HrQoL (EQ-5D descriptive system, EQ-5D index, and EQ-VAS) were assessed in a sample of community-dwelling older persons (≥70 years) participating in the baseline assessment of a randomized controlled trial (N = 309). Linear and logistic regression analyses were performed, adjusting for sociodemographic variables, frequency of falls, number of chronic conditions, functional mobility (Timed up-and-go test), and subjective functional capacity (LLFDI function and disability scales). Multiple regression models were used to test the mediating effects. Results Moderate or high FoF was prevalent in 66% of the sample. After adjusting for covariates, FoF was negatively associated with the EQ-5D index, but not with the descriptive system or the EQ-VAS. Subjective functional capacity partly mediated the association between FoF and the EQ-5D index and completely mediated the association between FoF and the EQ-VAS. Conclusion FoF was negatively associated with the EQ-5D index. As subjective functional capacity mediated the association between FoF and HrQoL, future interventions should account for subjective functional capacity in their design.

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The Link of Three-Dimensional Frailty Index With Quality of Life and Fear of Falling Among Taiwanese Older Adults

Innovation in Aging ◽

10.1093/geroni/igaa057.966 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 301-302

Author(s):

Duan-Rung Chen ◽

Chun-Tung Kuo ◽

Peng-Yu Chen

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Structural Equation Models ◽

Fear Of Falling ◽

Short Form ◽

Frailty Index ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Physical Aspect

Abstract Objective. Frailty has received increasing attention as a way of understanding gradual losses in one or more domains of human functioning (physical, psychological, and social) in older adults. Studies suggested that frailty is related to lower quality of life (QoL) and the fear of falling (FoF). The most commonly used frailty criteria is the Fried Phenotype, which solely focuses on physical dimension of frailty. This study aims to evaluate the three-dimensional frailty index (namely, physical, psychological and social), and its association with QoL and FoF in a sample of community-dwelling Taiwanese older people. Methods. A total of 751 older adults aged 65 years and older (mean age 73.69 yrs ; SD=6.6) were included from May 2019 to Jan 2020 in Taipei City. The 8-Item Short-Form Health and the Falls Efficacy Scare International (FES-I) were used. Structural equation models (SEM) were employed to examine the association of the three-dimensional frailty index with QoL and FoF. Results. The SEM results confirmed a three-dimensional frailty index (physical, psychological and social frailty), and it is significantly associated with OoL and FoF. Physical frailty had the strongest association with PCS and FES-I, yet social frailty with MCS. Conclusion. Public health efforts to prevent elderly frailty should not solely focusing on physical aspect of frailty.

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Loneliness, fear of falling, and quality of life in community-dwelling older women who live alone and live with others

Educational Gerontology ◽

10.1080/03601277.2017.1376450 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M Zali ◽

A Farhadi ◽

M Soleimanifar ◽

H Allameh ◽

L Janani

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Women ◽

Fear Of Falling ◽

Community Dwelling

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Physical activity level, fear of falling and quality of life: a comparison between community-dwelling and assisted-living older adults

BMC Geriatrics ◽

10.1186/s12877-020-01982-1 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Christopher Olusanjo Akosile ◽

Charles Kenechukwu Igwemmadu ◽

Emmanuel Chiebuka Okoye ◽

Adesola Christiana Odole ◽

Ukamaka Gloria Mgbeojedo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Older Adults ◽

Assisted Living ◽

Fear Of Falling ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Activity Level ◽

Analysis Of Covariance ◽

Community Dwelling Older Adults

Abstract Background Physical activity (PA), fear of falling (FOF) and quality of life (QOL) are very important constructs in geriatrics. The interplay among these constructs may vary between community-dwelling and assisted-living older adults. However, studies comparing the wellbeing of community-dwelling older adults with those residing in the assisted-living facilities (ALFs) are rather rare especially from developing countries. This study was aimed at comparing PA, FOF and QOL between assisted-living and community-dwelling older adults and also determining the correlations amongst the constructs for each group. Methods This cross-sectional survey involved consecutively sampled 114 older adults (≥65 years, ambulant and well-oriented in time, place and person) residing in conveniently selected ALFs (11.3% males) and adjoining communities (54.1% males). PA, FOF and QOL were evaluated using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly, the Modified Fall Efficacy Scale and the Short-form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire respectively. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, analysis of covariance and Spearman rank-order correlation test at 0.05 level of significance. Results Participants from the ALFs had significantly lower domain and overall PA (F=5.6–103.34; p< 0.05) and QOL (F=11.12–118.05; p< 0,05) scores than community-dwelling groups. FOF was significantly more prevalent in assisted-living group (p< 0.05). There were significant positive correlations (p< 0.05) between each pair of PA, FOF and QOL for both assisted-living and community-dwelling groups. Conclusions Older adults in the ALFs had lower PA and QOL scores with higher prevalence of FOF than their community-dwelling counterparts. Significant relationships existed between PA, FOF and QOL for participants in either group. Present results may be suggesting that ageing in place ensures better health outcomes than institutionalised ageing. Whenever possible, older adults should therefore be encouraged to age in place rather than moving into ALFs.

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Fear of Falling in Community-Dwelling Older People: Relationship with Sleep Quality, Depression and Quality of Life

Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Bilimleri Dergisi ◽

10.31609/jpmrs.2020-75874 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 8-16

Author(s):

Canan ASLAN ◽

Yasemin ULUS ◽

Yeşim AKYOL ◽

Ayhan BİLGİCİ ◽

Ömer KURU

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Sleep Quality ◽

Older People ◽

Fear Of Falling ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

Community Dwelling Older People

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Associations of Falls with Quality of Life and Correlated Factors in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Two-Wave Cohort Study

10.21203/rs.3.rs-966827/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yih-Jian Tsai ◽

Wen-Jung Sun ◽

Yi-Ching Yang ◽

Pesus Chou ◽

Jung-Der Wang

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Older Adults ◽

Fear Of Falling ◽

Short Form ◽

Community Dwelling ◽

World Health ◽

Life Questionnaire ◽

World Health Organization Quality ◽

Prevention Interventions

Abstract Background Falls contribute to disability and burden of care among older adults. Studies of fall-related impacts on quality of life (QOL) are warranted for future prevention interventions. Methods Fall-related data were collected from adults aged 70 years and above using questionnaire interviews in the 1996 and 1999 surveys at Hunei community in southern Taiwan. Their QOL was measured using the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) and World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) in the 1999 follow-up only. The bilateral relationship among fall category, selected covariates (i.e., age, sex, number of difficulties in performing activities of daily living (ADLs) or instrumental ADLs, number of comorbidities, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) scores, Mini-Mental Stated Examination (MMSE) scores, fear of falling, and Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE) scores), and mean QOL scores were investigated. Hierarchical linear regression models were tested to examine the associations between fall frequency and QOL with sequential entry of explanatory variables. The final models were established by substituting fall category for fall frequency. Results Fall category was significantly associated with physical-related subscale scores, except body pain. Almost every QOL score revealed a negative association with the number of comorbidities, GDS scores, and fear of falling; however, a positive association with MMSE and PASE scores was observed. Conclusions Future prevention interventions should target common risk factors of both QOL and falls among older people, including control of comorbidities, depressive symptoms, cognitive impairment, and inactivity.

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