| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2020 | Volume
: 52
| Issue : 1 | Page : 3-7 |
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Implementation of environmental modifications in reducing fear of falling and studying its relationship with activity level and activity restriction among older adults living in old-age home: A one-arm interventional study
Hansa Varshneya, Jay Vijay Sonawane
Department of Occupational Therapy, JKKMMRF College of OT, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India
Correspondence Address:
Dr. Hansa Varshneya
Associate Professor, JKKMMRF College of OT, Ethirmedu, Komarapalayam, Namakkal - 638 183, Tamil Nadu
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None
DOI: 10.4103/ijoth.ijoth_3_20
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Background: Falls in older adults can cause severe physical injuries leading to activity restriction and subsequently adding to financial burden. Objectives: The objectives of our study were to assess the fear of falling in older adults living in old-age home, to implement cost-effective environmental modifications in old-age home, and to assess the relationship of fear of falling with activity level and activity restriction in older adults. Study Design: A one-arm interventional study design was chosen for the research. Methods: In this one-arm interventional study, 32 older adults, both males and females, were recruited from an old-age home, after their written informed consent. All the 32 older adults were assessed on the Survey of Activities and Fear of Falling in the Elderly (SAFFE) at baseline (preintervention), postintervention at 2 months, and at follow-up of 12 months. The architectural barriers in the old-age home were identified, and cost-effective environmental modifications were implemented. Statistical analyses of the SAFFE scores from baseline to follow-up were done. Results: The results revealed that fear of falling significantly reduced with the implementation of environmental modifications at postintervention at 2 months and at follow-up of 12 months. Fear of falling was positively correlated with the activity restriction (P = 0.0001, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.88-0.97) and fear of falling was negatively correlated with activity level (P = 0.0001, 95% CI = −0.97-−0.88) at baseline, postintervention, and follow-up. Conclusion: Our study showed that with the implementation of cost-effective environmental modifications, there was a significant reduction of fear of falling among older adults.
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