Turkish Journal of Geriatrics 2009 , Vol 12, Issue 4
FALL RISK ASSESSMENT OF ELDERLY BY USING POSTUROGRAPHY
Oya ÖZDEMİR1, Yeşim GÖKÇE KUTSAL2
1Atatürk Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon, ANKARA
2Hacettepe Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon, ANKARA
Introduction: The purpose of the study is to identify the fall risk in a group of elderly subjects by using an objective measurement, posturography.

Materials and Methods: Thirty volunteers, 65 years or older were enrolled in this study. The subjects with debilitating cardiac or respiratory illness, focal neurological disease, peripheral neuropathy, or musculoskeletal conditions limiting motion were excluded from the study. Balance of the subjects was evaluated by using four plate posturography and the Berg balance scale.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 70.4±4.6 years and 50% were women. The mean Berg balance score was 54.5±3.2 and the mean fall index score was 42.1±23.6. 46.7% of the subjects had low, 30.0% had moderate and 23.3% had high risk of falling. No significant correlation was found between Berg balance scale and fall index scores.

Conclusion: Fall index measurement by posturography can identify the individuals who have a high risk of falling, and seems to be a promising screening tool for the elderly. Keywords : Balance, Fall risk, Posturography, Elderly