Walking and Talking as Predictors of Falls in the General Population: The Leiden 85‐Plus Study

Abstract

The dual-task test in this study had no predictive value above that of a single-task test to predict falling. Dual tasks with more-sensitive measures of impaired dual-task execution might have better test characteristics. In this study, history of falls and performance on an easy-to-administer single walking task identified old persons at higher risk for falling who could benefit from fall preventive strategies.

Gait performance of the elderly under dual-task conditions: Review of instruments employed and kinematic parameters

“…Of these, 13 analyzed a single group of elderly individuals [25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37] and 15 compared groups of elderly individuals with different characteristics. 5,6,[16][17][18][19][20][21][38][39][40][41][42][43][44] Charts 1 and 2 contain the details of the studies included in this review, as well as the details of the samples, instruments, tasks and spatial and temporal parameters of gait in each study. Step time; variability of the step …”

“…4,14 The aging process is accompanied by alterations in the spatial and temporal parameters of gait, 14 such as reductions in gait speed and step length, as well as increases in step variability, double support time and step width, 4,12,15 all of which have been correlated with a higher incidence of falls. 5,6,[16][17][18][19][20][21] An assessment of these parameters is generally used to identify abnormalities in an individual's gait. 22 While several gait parameters (reduced speed, reduced step length and increased double support time) can reflect impairment and are correlated with a fear of falls, step variability is the indicator that provides the best representation of postural instability.…”

Gait variability while dual-tasking: fall predictor in older inpatients?

“…Thus, new screening tools based on dual-task paradigms have been developed, comparing walking performance alone with walking while performing an attention-demanding task. Recently, clinical walking tests using dual tasking revealed a strong relationship between dual task-related gait changes and the risk for falling in older adults (9)(10)(11)(12)(13). However, ever since the first report by Lundin-Olsson et al (9), who showed a link between the inability to walk and talk simultaneously and the occurrence of falls among older adults, the consistent prediction of falls by dual-task testing remains difficult.…”

Age-Related Changes in Attentional Capacity and the Ability to Multi-Task as a Predictor for Falls in Adults Aged 75 Years and Older

“…Our elderly participant sample was not large, and our follow-up period of 5-months was short in comparison to previous prospective studies 14) . In a previous study, the 1-year incidence of falling within the general population of elderly was about 40% for any fall and 20% for recurrent falls 15) . A larger sample size and a longer follow-up period are required to resolve these limitations.…”

“…Some retrospective studies have reported that impaired dual-tasking is not associated with falls 14) , although some prospective studies have recognized a significant relationship between dual-tasking performance and predicting the likelihood of falling 14) ; however, a prospective population-based study has reported that dual-tasking performance has no predictive value above that of single-task tests in the prediction of falling 15) . Most of these studies have assessed physical performance during cognitive tasks; however, it is not clear whether task combinations can be strong predictors of falls in elderly people.…”