The Role of Exercise in Fall Prevention for Older Adults
Section snippets
The benefits of physical activity (and exercise) in reducing falls: overview of research findings
As of 2009, more than 600 published articles have investigated various intervention strategies aimed at lowering fall rates and/or fall risk among older adults. Of the multiple strategies investigated, exercise, either as a stand-alone intervention strategy or as an important component of a multifactorial intervention strategy, has been described as one of the “best buys” in fall prevention.6 Intervention strategies have employed single (eg, resistance training, aerobic endurance) or multiple
Translating research into practice: designing structured exercise programs aimed at lowering fall incidence rates and fall risk
Exercise that addresses the multiple dimensions of balance should be considered the foundation of any structured exercise program aimed at reducing fall risk. Activities designed to improve older adults’ ability to process and integrate sensory information, anticipate and/or react quickly and efficiently to changes in the environment, allocate attention appropriately, and perform standing balance and coordination activities in a controlled manner and with minimal support should be considered
Future research directions
The optimal type, intensity, frequency, duration, and progression of exercise needed to significantly lower fall risk over the long-term are still not known. There are 7 issues, relating to either the design and conduct of physical activity–based research or fall risk reduction research in general, that remain to be answered:
Summary
Despite the many questions and/or issues that need to be addressed in future research, what can be concluded with some level of confidence from the research published to date is that exercise programs aimed at reducing falls at all risk levels should include activities that specifically address the physical risk factors associated with falls and at a level of intensity that matches older adults’ physical capabilities. While a variety of different activity options are available to older adults
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