Falls in older adulthood can have serious consequences. It is therefore important to identify ways to prevent falls, particularly from the voice of older adults. Bottom-up qualitative exploration of the perspectives of older adults can provide rich insights that can help inform the development of effective fall prevention programmes. However, currently there is a dearth of such empirical data, especially among urban-dwelling older adults in high-density cities where fall rates are high. The current study aimed to examine qualitatively perceptions of neighbourhood physical environment in relation to falls, perceived risks and fear of falling, and strategies and behaviours for fall prevention in a sample of urban-dwelling older adults in the high-density city of Hong Kong. Face-to-face semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 50 community-dwelling older adults. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis techniques. Five general themes were revealed: risks and circumstances of falls, consequences of falls, fear of falling and its consequences, neighbourhood environment, and strategies and behaviours of fall prevention. While older adults discussed the risks of falling and held a fear of falling, these beliefs were mixed. In addition to fall prevention strategies (e.g. keep balance), current findings highlighted the importance of establishing protective factors (e.g. flat and even walking paths) and reducing risk factors (e.g. neighbourhood clutter) in neighbourhood environments. For urban-dwelling older adults in high-density cities, current findings highlight the importance of focusing efforts at the built environment level in addition to strategies and behaviours of fall prevention at the individual level.

From exoskeletons to lightweight robotic suits, wearable robots are changing dynamically and rapidly, challenging the timeliness of laws and regulatory standards that were not prepared for robots that would help wheelchair users walk again. In this context, equipping regulators with technical knowledge on technologies could solve information asymmetries among developers and policymakers and avoid the problem of regulatory disconnection. This article introduces pushing robot development for lawmaking (PROPELLING), an financial support to third parties from the Horizon 2020 EUROBENCH project that explores how robot testing facilities could generate policy-relevant knowledge and support optimized regulations for robot technologies. With ISO 13482:2014 as a case study, PROPELLING investigates how robot testbeds could be used as data generators to improve the regulation for lower-limb exoskeletons. Specifically, the article discusses how robot testbeds could help regulators tackle hazards like fear of falling, instability in collisions, or define the safe scenarios for avoiding any adverse consequences generated by abrupt protective stops. The article’s central point is that testbeds offer a promising setting to bring policymakers closer to research and development to make policies more attuned to societal needs. In this way, these approximations can be harnessed to unravel an optimal regulatory framework for emerging technologies, such as robots and artificial intelligence, based on science and evidence.

Introduction: According to WHO, one third of patients aged ≥65 fall every year. Those falls account for 25% of all geriatric emergency department (ED) visits. Fear of falling (FOF) is common in older patients who sustained a fall and is associated with a decline in mobility and health issues for patients. We hypothesized that there is an association between FOF and return to ED (RTED) and future falls. Objective: To assess the relation between FOF and RTED and subsequent falls in older ED patients Methods: This research was conducted as part of the Canadian Emergency Team Initiative in elderly (CETIe) multicenter prospective cohort study from 2011 to 2016. Participants: Patients 65 years or older were assessed and discharged from ED following a minor trauma. They had to be independent in all basic activities of daily living and being able to communicate in English or French. Measures: Primary outcome was RTED and secondary outcome was subsequent falls. Both were self-reported at 3 and 6 months. Patients were stratified according to Short Falls Efficacy Scale International (SFES-I) score, assessing FOF in different situations. A total score is calculated to determine the mild, moderate or severe level of FOF. Previous falls and TUG were used to evaluate patients’ mobility. OARS, ISAR and SOF were used to evaluated patient frailty. Descriptive statistical were performed and multiple regression were performed to show the association between SFES-1 score and outcomes. Results: FOF was measured in 2899 participants, of which 2214 participated at the 3 months follow-up and 2009 participated at the 6 months follow-up. Odds Ratio (OR) of return to ED at 3 months was 1.10 for moderate FOF and 1.52 for severe FOF (Type 3 test p = 0.11). At 6 months, OR was 1.03 for moderate FOF and 1.25 for severe FOF (Type 3 test p = 0.63). OR of subsequent fall at 3 months was 1.80 for moderate FOF and 2.18 for severe FOF (Type 3 test p < 0.001). At 6 months, OR of subsequent fall was 1.63 for moderate FOF and 2.37 for severe FOF (Type 3 test p < 0.001). Conclusion: The multicenter cohort study showed that severe fear of falling is strongly associated with subsequent falls over the next 6 months following ED discharge, but not significantly associated with return to ED episodes. Further research should be done to analyze the association between severe FOF and RTED.

Several determinants of developing fear of falling (FoF) overlap with the consequences of diabetes mellitus (DM). We compared the prevalence and severity of FoF in older adults with and without DM and identified which FoF determinants contribute to FoF severity in older adults with DM. We used Canadian baseline data from the International Mobility in Aging Study (IMIAS) which identified 141 older adults with DM (DM-group;age:68.88±2.80years) and 620 without DM (noDM-group;age:68.81±2.68years). FoF was quantified with Falls Efficacy Scale–International (FES-I). FoF determinants were evaluated in demographic/health-related, physical, psychological, and social domains. High concern of FoF was more prevalent and of higher severity in 10/16 FES-I activities in the DM-group compared to the noDM-group. Higher FoF severity in the DM-group was associated with poor physical performance, being female, fall history, and clinical depressive symptoms. Protocols developed for screening and interventions may reduce FoF severity in this population.

Fear of falling (FoF) is a common condition in older age. However, there is a paucity of research on its prevalence, impact and treatment in older people with dementia. People with dementia have an increased risk of falls which present a significant threat to their independence, as well as having a significant economic impact on health and social services. This review outlines the key issues in relation to FoF, current guidelines and assessment tools and their use for people with dementia. Further research needs to be completed in both addressing the specific assessment barriers that people with dementia may face regarding the use of current FoF tools, with further exploration surrounding the individual's experience of FoF and how this may be impacting upon their quality of life and functionality. Until a well-validated method has been developed, clinicians need to utilize available tools as guidelines, seek the assistance of proxies at all stages of the care journey, and use clinical judgement to assess FoF in patients with dementia.

In this review, we analyse original research articles in English and Spanish in which fear of falling (FoF) as a long-term syndrome defines the participants, or is the main outcome, or in cases where FoF is a secondary outcome, falls or activity are the main outcomes.

FoF is difficult to measure. Attempts are made to do so by use of single questions or scales. Restriction in activity due to FoF is a secondary outcome and can be an important influence on a person's quality of life. There are also various methods of measuring it by use of single questions or scales, and general questions in basic or instrumental activities of daily living (ADL) indices are frequently used. Other scales or questionnaires about quality of life (such as the SF-36) or activity (such as the Survey of Activity and Fear of Falling Scales (SAFE), or the Groningen Activity Restriction Scale (GARS)) are also used. The varying objectives of the analysed articles explain some of the variations in measures used. Further work is required to reach a consensus on definition and standardized measurement of FoF and its effect on quality of life and activity.

The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of fear of falling (FOF) among patients over age 60 with dizziness, falls, or syncope; and to analyze risk factors associated with FOF, including data from the tilt table test. This study included 200 older patients referred to a geriatric outpatient clinic specializing in dizziness, falls, and syncope. The primary outcome measure was the proportion of patients who experienced FOF (yes vs. no) and whether FOF restricted leaving home alone or performing activities of daily living. FOF occurred in 50 per cent of patients in this population. Among these, 44 per cent gave up going out alone and 10 per cent stopped doing basic activities of daily living. Beyond age 75, FOF was associated with recurrent dizziness, depression, and symptoms on standing, but not prior falls.

Background: A fall experienced by an elderly person is of special note because it appears to hold a reciprocal causal association with the fear of falling. This study attempts to determine the temporal relationship between the fear of falling and falling among community-dwelling elderly.

Methods: Data on falls experienced during the previous three years were obtained from 732 community-dwelling elderly people. Participants were also asked to provide detailed information about their most recent fall, including the date, time of day, place, circumstances, consequences of the fall, fear of falling, and activity limitations due to fear of falling.

Results: Those who had fallen within the past six months had over four times greater odds of a fear of falling and approximately five times greater odds of activity restriction, compared with those who had not fallen. The association decreased linearly over time, and became nonsignificant for those who had not fallen during the past 25–36 months.

Conclusions: The experience of a fall is strongly associated with an increased fear of falling, and the association appears to persist for at least two years. An elderly person who has experienced a fall requires continuous attention to prevent the development of fear as another problem, together with early intervention to counter the fear of falling.