Objective: It has been found that 50% of older adults who fall will develop fear of falling. Group delivered Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) has been found to be effective in reducing fear of falling however, research has found that individually delivered CBT may be more effective and acceptable than group delivered CBT. This research is a preliminary study evaluating the effectiveness of an individually delivered CBT intervention for fear of falling in older adults compared to a control group receiving physiotherapy. The study also reports data on indicators of the acceptability and feasibility of CBT in this sample.
Method: Eighteen participants were recruited from the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Falls Prevention Service and were allocated to either the CBT or control group according to the treatment site that they attended for the Falls Prevention Service. Measures of fear of falling, anxiety, and quality of life were compared within subjects and between groups at pre and post treatment.
Results: On the measure of fear of falling, significant within subject differences for those who received the CBT and between subject differences compared to a group receiving standard physiotherapy were found. No differences were found within subjects or between groups on measures of anxiety or quality or life. The intervention was found to be acceptable to older adults and practical in terms of delivery.
Discussion: Individually delivered CBT is an effective and feasible intervention for older adults who are fearful of falling and is more effective than standard physiotherapy. Future studies should aim to investigate if this beneficial effect is replicable
