• Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.197-203
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• 2018

Objective: Independent walking is the most essential prerequisite to maintain quality of life in older persons. The purpose of this review was to investigate the effect of fall prevention strategies on fall risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) within community-dwelling older adults aged 65 and over. Design: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods: PubMed and three other databases were searched up to October 31st, 2018 and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating fall prevention strategies for fall risk in persons who were 65 years of age or above with T2DM were included. The review extracted the following information from each study selected: first author's surname, published year, country, study population, type of intervention, intensity of intervention, comparison, measurement variables, additional therapy, summary of results, and mean and standard deviation from selected studies. Results: This review selected fourteen RCTs with 460 older adults with diabetes mellitus. Of the 14 studies, the types of intervention used to improve the risk of falls were strengthening (5), aerobic exercises (2), multimodal exercises (4), one virtual reality exercise (1), whole body vibration with balance exercise (1), and Tai Chi exercise (1). Seven RCTs were eligible for the meta-analysis. Therapeutic interventions were more effective than the control group for the Timed Up-and-Go test (-1.11; 95% CI, -1.82 to -0.41) and the 6-minute Walk Test (-1.89; 95% CI, -8.33 to 4.54). Conclusions: The results of the review suggest that interventions to prevent fall risk in older adults with T2DM should focus on strengthening, balance, aerobic, and multimodal exercises.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.52 no.3
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• pp.341-358
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• 2022

Purpose: This study examined the effects of a person-centered fall prevention program for older adults with dementia in long-term care hospitals. Methods: A nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. The study sample included 42 older adults with dementia (experimental group: 21, control group: 21) and 42 caregivers (experimental group: 21, control group: 21). The program comprised 48 sessions held over 12 weeks and included exercise intervention with resistance and balance, dance walking (45~60 min, three times/week), cognitive and emotional intervention (35~50 min, once per week), and person-centered fall prevention education (10 min, once per week). The program for caregivers consisted of six educational sessions (i.e., fall prevention competency enhancement and person-centered care strategy education, 80 min, once per week) for six weeks. Data were collected before participation and 12 weeks after program completion from February 18 to May 12, 2019. Data analysis was conducted using the chi-square test, t-test, and Mann-Whitney U test with SPSS/WIN 21.0. Results: The experimental group of older adults with dementia showed significant improvement in physical and cognitive functions, and a decrease in depression, and behavioral and psychological symptoms, when compared with the control group. caregivers in the experimental group exhibited significant improvement in fall-related knowledge and person-centered care of older adults with dementia compared to the control group. Conclusion: The study findings indicate that this program was effective as a nursing intervention for fall prevention among older adults with dementia in long-term care hospitals.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.676-684
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• 2008

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors for falls and to suggest data for developing a program for preventing falls. Methods: This was a case-control study in five university hospitals and a general hospital. In total, 216 patients over the age of 18 yr admitted from January 1 to December 31, 2007 participated. One hundred eight patients with experience of falling were matched by gender, age level, diagnosis, and length of stay with 108 patents with no experience of falling admitted on the same unit. A quality assurance coordinator nurse in each hospital examined 35 fall risk factors developed by researchers. Results: In acute hospitals, history of falls, orientation ability, dizziness or vertigo, general weakness, urination problems, transfer/mobility difficulty, walking dependency, impatience, benzodiazepines, diuretics, and vasodilators showed significance on adjusted-odds ratios for fall. Logistic regression analysis was performed to elucidate the factors that influence falls. The probability of falls was increased by dizziness/vertigo, general weakness, and impatience/agitation. Conclusion: This finding can be used as a useful resource in developing nursing intervention programs to predict and prevent the falls of inpatients.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.613-625
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• 2013

Purpose: This study was conducted to determine the effects of a fall prevention program on falls, physical function, psychological function, and home environmental safety in frail elders living at home in rural communities. Methods: The design of this study was a nonequivalent control group pre posttest design. The study was conducted from July to November, 2012 with 30 participants in the experimental group and 30 in the control group. Participants were registered at the public health center of E County. The prevention program on falls consisted of laughter therapy, exercise, foot care and education. The program was provided once a week for 8 weeks and each session lasted 80 minutes. Results: The risk score for falls and depression in the experimental group decreased significantly compared with scores for the control group. Compliance with prevention behavior related to falls, knowledge score on falls, safety scores of home environment, physical balance, muscle strength of lower extremities, and self-efficacy for fall prevention significantly increased in the experimental group compared with the control group. Conclusion: These results suggest that the prevention program on falls is effective for the prevention of falls in frail elders living at home.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.595-604
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for pediatric inpatients falls. Methods: The study was a matched case-control design. The participants were 279 patients under the age of 6 who were admitted between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2009. Through chart reviews, 93 pediatric patients who fell and 186 ones who did not fall were paired by gender, age, diagnosis, and length of stay. Five experts evaluated the 38 fall risk factors selected by the researchers. Results: In a general hospital, pediatric patients with secondary diagnosis, tests that need the patient to be moved, intravenous lines, hyperactivity, anxiolytics, sedatives and hypnotics, and general anesthetics showed significance for falls on adjusted-odds ratios. Conditional logistic regression analysis was performed to elucidate the factors that influence pediatric inpatient falls. The probability of falls increased with hyperactivity and general weakness. Patients who didn't have tests that required them to be moved and intravenous line had a higher risk of falls. Conclusion: These findings provide information that is relevant in developing fall risk assessment tools and prevention programs for pediatric inpatient falls.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.22-30
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• 2012

Purpose: This study was conducted in order to investigate the effects of an aerobic exercise program on mobility, fall efficacy, balance, and stress in the elderly at senior centers. Methods: This research was conducted as a quasi-experimental pretest and posttest control and experimental comparison study. The subjects were 41 senior residents (Exp.=18, Cont.=23) who aged above 65 at senior centers in S City. The period of time for data collection and intervention was from August 25 to December 5, 2008. Results: Mobility (t=-3.10, p<.01) in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group without an aerobic exercise program. However, fall efficacy (t=1.28, p=.207), balance (t=-.53, p=.602; t=.36, p=.723), stress (t=-1.32, p=.199) in the experimental group was not significantly higher than that in the control group. Conclusion: These findings confirmed that aerobic exercise programs make a contribution to improving mobility in the elderly at senior centers.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.10-19
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• 2016

Purpose: This study was to develop a fall prevention program and test the effects of the program on the muscle strength, postural balance and fear of falling for elderly. Methods: This study was conducted using a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. There were 21 participants in the experimental group and 22 in the control group. Data were collected from July to September 2015. Questionnaires were completed three times (at pretest and after 8 and 10 weeks). Data were analyzed using $x^2$ test, Fisher's exact test, t-test, and repeated measure ANOVA. Results: Lower extremity muscle strength and postural balance scores were significantly improved in the experimental group compared to the control group. However, fear of falling was not significantly different between the experimental and control groups. Conclusion: The study results indicate that fall prevention programs for the elderly can be useful to improve muscle strength and postural balance.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.589-598
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• 2010

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that increase of the risk for falls in low-income elders in urban areas. Methods: The participants were elderly people registered in one of public health centers in one city. Data were collected by interviewing the elders, assessing their environmental risk factors, and surveying relevant secondary data from the public health center records. For data analysis, descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression were performed using SPSS version 14. Results: Stroke, diabetes, visual deficits, frequency of dizziness, use of assistive devices and moderate depression were statistically significant risk factors. The comorbidity of chronic diseases with other factors including depression, visual deficit, dizziness, and use of assistive devices significantly increased the risk of falls. From multiple logistic regression analysis, statistically significant predictors of falls were found to be stroke, total environmental risk scores, comorbiditiy of diabetes with visual deficits, and with depression. Conclusion: Fall prevention interventions should be multifactorial, especially for the elders with stroke or diabetes, who were identified in this study as the high risk group for falls. A fall risk assessment tool for low-income elders should include both the intrinsic factors like depression, dizziness, and use of assistive devices, and the extrinsic factors.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 2001

Objectives : To analyze factors associated with elderly falls in a community dwelling, a comparatively important, but somewhat neglected, health mailer. Methods : Data came from personal interview surveys using a questionnaire of 552 people aged 65 or older living in a community. Socioeconomic, and health related characteristics were investigated as independent variables and experiences of falling in the previous year as the dependent variable. Results : 118(21.4%) of the elderly subjects experienced a fall in the previous year. 24 subjects experienced more than two falls, accounting for 20.3% of the elderly fall victims studied. Factors affecting the falls were families living together, level of daily activity, heart disease, and aconuresis;, therefore an elderly person who lives alone, lives independently, has heart disease, or suffers urinary incontinence had a demonstrated increased chance of failing. Conclusion : Groups at risk for luting included elderly persons living alone, living independently, suffering heart disease, or experiencing urinary incontinence. When an elderly fall prevention program is developed and implemented, these results should be considered.

• ETRI Journal
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.654-671
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• 2022

Accidental falls frequently occur during activities of daily living. Although many studies have proposed various accident detection methods, no high-performance accident detection system is available. In this study, we propose a method for integrating data and accident detection algorithms presented in existing studies, collect new data (from two stunt performers and 15 people over age 60) using a developed wearable device, demonstrate new features and related accident detection algorithms, and analyze the performance of the proposed method against existing methods. Comparative analysis results show that the newly defined features extracted reflect more important risk factors than those used in existing studies. Further, although the traditional algorithms applied to integrated data achieved an accuracy (AC) of 79.5% and a false positive rate (FPR) of 19.4%, the proposed accident detection algorithms achieved 97.8% AC and 2.9% FPR. The high AC and low FPR for accidental falls indicate that the proposed method exhibits a considerable advancement toward developing a commercial accident detection system.