Impact of a guide information and balance exercises on the falling prevention and fear of falling

Abstract

Fear of falling is a very common psychological characteristic in the elderly, who may or may not be associated with a previous event of a fall, and can result in decreased level of activity and functionality. In addition, several falls are caused due to the environment and other factors, such as footwear and inadequate lighting for the elderly. This study will evaluate as a primer for preventing falls, with or without exercise improves balance, will influence the fear of falling, activity level and physical functioning of older people. Participants studied 30 elderly patients, aged from 60 years of both sexes were randomized into three groups. Group 1 (n = 10): seniors will receive a booklet which will include guidelines on various aspects relevant to the prevention of falls, such as the environment and posture for certain activities, and participate in an exercise program to improve balance, Group 2 ( n = 10): the elderly will only receive the booklet, Group 3 (n = 10): only seniors will participate in the exercise program. Intervention will be held two times per week, totaling 20 sessions. The program will consist of heating (10 min), elongation (10 min), balance training (35 min) and relaxation (5 min). At baseline and after 10 weeks, all seniors will answer a questionnaire about the occurrence of falls and fear of falling, and questionnaires to assess fear of falling (FES-I-Brazil), to assess the environment (HES), to assess the level activity (BEACKE) clinical trial and Dynamic Gait Index to assess physical functioning. By distributing the booklet to prevent falls, it is expected that the elderly change their behavior risk for falls, influencing the decrease in fear of falling and possible increasing your activity level. This is a cheap and easy to try to prevent falls, however, with little evidence about its effectiveness.(AU)