The Discriminative Ability of the Four Balance Measures for Fall History

The Discriminative Ability of the Four Balance Measures for.the Previous Fall Experience in Türkish Community-dwelling Older Adults

The fall rate is increased parallel to the aging process. The early determination and management of falls in older adults are quite crucial to preserve the independence of older adults. In the literature, there are used many measurement tools for predicting fall status. The discriminative ability of these measures is important for the accuracy of the assessment. In this study, four of the most commonly used balance measurement tools will be investigated in terms of the discriminative ability for fall status in the Turkish community-dwelling older adults.

Inclusion Criteria:

• being aged 65 or above,
• having a score of 21 or more from the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) [20,23],
• able to ambulate independently or with an assistive device.

Exclusion Criteria:

• having visual and hearing problems that may cause restrictions in communication and also balance impairments,
• drug use (benzodiazepine, psychotropic drugs, etc.) with adverse effects on balance and walking,
• having any serious neurological, cardiopulmonary, or orthopedic disorders that adversely affected balance conditions.