Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA.
Department of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound, VA RR&D Center for Limb Loss and MoBility (CLiMb), Seattle, Washington, USA.
Assist Technol. 2024 May 3;36(3):248-253. doi: 10.1080/10400435.2023.2267623. Epub 2023 Oct 24.
Falls are the leading cause of fatal and non-fatal injuries in older adults. Walkers are often used by and prescribed to this population to reduce fall risk, however, walker users and walker non-users alike experience similar fall incidence rates. The role of walkers in preventing falls is unclear as some studies suggest walkers may be a fall-inciting factor. The purpose of this study was to analyze walker deficits by evaluating the circumstances and causes of falls in older adult walker users residing in long-term care facilities. Videos capturing 34 real-life falls involving wheeled walkers (rollators and two-wheeled walkers) in two retirement facilities were analyzed for 3 themes: walker type, fall direction, and activity at the time of fall. A frequency analysis of these themes was performed to determine common fall mechanisms. The results of this study suggest two-wheeled walker and rollator users most often fall sideways while turning and backward during weight transfer, respectively. Poor maneuverability, lateral stability, and wheel velocity control of the walkers contributed to the falls. Device improvements addressing these areas of deficiency may be necessary to mitigate falls occurring in older adult walker users.
跌倒是导致老年人致命和非致命伤害的主要原因。助行器常用于降低跌倒风险，经常被推荐给该人群使用，然而，助行器使用者和非使用者的跌倒发生率相似。助行器在预防跌倒方面的作用尚不清楚，因为一些研究表明助行器可能是导致跌倒的一个因素。本研究的目的是通过评估长期护理机构中使用助行器的老年人的跌倒情况和原因，分析助行器缺陷。对两个退休机构中 34 个真实的助行器（轮式助行器和两轮助行器）跌倒的视频进行了分析，以评估 3 个主题：助行器类型、跌倒方向和跌倒时的活动。对这些主题进行了频率分析，以确定常见的跌倒机制。本研究结果表明，两轮助行器和轮式助行器使用者在转弯和转移重量时分别最容易向侧面和向后摔倒。助行器的操纵性差、横向稳定性差和车轮速度控制不良导致了跌倒的发生。可能需要对这些缺陷领域进行设备改进，以减轻老年助行器使用者的跌倒。
