Risk of falls in the elderly: impact of new technologies in assessment protocols

Abstract: Falls represent a growing concern for research and clinical specialists, given their critical impact on the expanding older population. Several clinical tests have been developed in order to assess multiple factors that result in an increased risk of falls. However, subjectivity of qualitative evaluations and a large variability of protocols are indicative of a need for consolidating these means of evaluation. Technological advances in motion analysis have the opportunity of providing supplementary, repeatable information to clinical tests, and have also brought forward devices for the prevention and actuation in the event of falling. This work presents applications of new technologies to risk of falls assessments, exemplified through experiments by the research group that integrate sensors (accelerometers, force plates) for the quantification of gait and balance, with the purpose of displaying the potential for developing novel, comprehensive protocols from a multidisciplinary perspective in the near future