title: Assessment of postural stability disorders in older adults treated at a health resort.
abstract: Background. Falls are a common and often devastating occurrence for the elderly in both home and institutional settings. The main purpose of our study was to assess disorders of postural stability in elderly patients undergoing health resort treatment, recruited at the sanatorium in Swieradów Zdrój, Poland. Material and methods. Thirty two older adults between the ages of 67 and 84 years were enrolled. All subjects completed a questionnaire pertaining to their fall history, subjective feeling of unsteadiness, activity level, medical status and use of assistive devices and/or medications. The Berg Balance Test (BBT), consisting of 14 functional subtests, was used to measure balance abilities and identify individuals with a higher risk of falling. Results. The mean score on the BBT for all these older adults was 42. The lowest number of points was obtained by those persons who showed all the risk factors for falls: postural instability, previous falls, and no physical activity (26 +/- 15.5). The highest number of points was obtained by persons who had only one risk factor (45.3 +/- 4.5) or no risk factors (49.5 +/- 5.8). 41% of our study group had a higher risk of falling (score 40), while in 19% of the patients the risk of incurring a fall was 100% (score 36). Conclusions. Among health resort patients over the age of 65, there is a decline in balance abilities and more propensity to fall. Testing of balance and fall prevention programs should become a standard part of the treatment program at health resorts for the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Katedra Fizjoterapii, AWF, Wrocław.
authors.forename: Bozena
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ostrowska
authors.forename: Zdzisław
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sadocha
authors.forename: Jarosław
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Skolimowski