Environmental factors associated with stair accidents by the elderly.
Stairs have been shown to be the most hazardous component of the everyday physical environment. The elderly have been identified as the segment of the population that is most vulnerable to accidents on stairs. Research reported herein attributes much of this heightened vulnerability to decrements in perceptual and motoric functioning associated with aging. Specific characteristics of stair design that have contributed to, or could minimize, this vulnerability are discussed.
D000059:Accidents; D000061:Accidents, Home; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging; D001108:Architecture; D005160:Facility Design and Construction; D006801:Humans; D008029:Lighting; D014786:Vision Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000502:physiology*