Physical Therapy

Physical Therapy

Introduction

Falling is one of the major health problems faced by older persons, as the effects of advanced age are associated with an increased risk of falls. From the age of 65, it is estimated that the chances of a fall increase by 4% per year of age." A criterion based analysis including 14 studies found that approximately 30% of older persons over the age of 65 years fell at least once a year, and 15% of them fell repeatedly.' Forty-five percent of older persons between ages 70 and 79 had fallen at least once, and 27% of them fell three or more times." The reported rate of falls averaged once every two years for those over 80 years, with many of these (61 %) happening in the home (Mathias, Nayak, 1986).

The elderly population in the United States, aged 65 years and older, is projected to rise to 71 million by 2030, equaling 20% of the total population. One of the most serious problems faced by the elderly is the problem of falling. It is estimated that falls occur in 30-60% of the elderly population each year, and that 10-20% of these falls result in injury, hospitalization, and/or death.'? The treatment of these fall-related injuries incurs a heavy social burden in terms of medical expenditures. The United States Center for Disease Control (CDC) reports that fall-related healthcare costs totaled $15.1 billion in 2002. This figure is to increase to $32.4 billion by 2020 (Mathias, Nayak, 1986).

Fall Prevention Plan

There are several definitions of a fall event. A fall event was defined as a person landing on the floor or a surface below knee level that was not caused by a severe blow, unconsciousness, paralysis or seizure. It was also defined as an unexpected event when the person fell to the ground from the same level or from an upper level, such as taking a fall on stairs and taking a fall onto a piece of furniture into account (Woolcott, Richardson, 2009). A fall was defined as an unintentional event that causes a person to come to rest on the floor or a lower level and no longer bearing weight (Brown, Gottschalk, 2005). Langer provides preventative and post-operative care for a variety of orthopedic-related disorders and sports-related injuries, non-surgical treatment of osteoarthritis, treatment for neurologically-related injuries and rehabilitation of injured workers. This paper proposes the fall prevention plan by using an innovative device known as Moore Balance brace. Langer will have to determine the feasibility of this device and its effectiveness when including this device into their product line. The paper provides goals and objectives of the physical therapy, vision and mission of the plan.

Balance is a complex skill that is based on the interaction of dynamic sensor motor processes and is dependent on the goal of the movement task as well as the environmental context. The ability to control balance involves using strategies to stabilize the body's centre of gravity over its base of support during quiet standing ...