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18 - Cognitive-Motor Interventions and Their Effects on Fall Risk in Older People

from Part II - Strategies for Prevention

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 November 2021

By
Daniel S. Schoene  and
Daina L. Sturnieks
Edited by
Stephen R. Lord ,
Catherine Sherrington  and
Vasi Naganathan
Stephen R. Lord
Affiliation:
Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney
Catherine Sherrington
Affiliation:
Sydney Medical School
Vasi Naganathan
Affiliation:
Concord Hospital
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Summary

Many studies have now shown that both physical and cognitive factors are important in fall risk. In accordance with the common-cause theory of cognitive ageing, which states that age-related declines in cognitive, sensory, and motor functioning are attributed to a common neurobiological mechanism, there is evidence of shared variance between sensorimotor and cognitive age-related changes. Indeed, cognitive, sensory, and motor inter-relationships strengthen with age [1]. It is, therefore, of little surprise that parameters of the postural control system are influenced by the cognitive demand of a task, particularly in older people. Undertaking daily tasks, such as maintaining upright posture and safely navigating complex environments, requires adequate sensory perception, cognitive integration, and subsequent motor adjustments [2], with increased cognitive processing required with aging [3]. Furthermore, many daily activities require the handling of two or more simultaneous tasks, such as walking while talking, carrying a basket with laundry while navigating the stairs, or crossing a busy road safely [4]. Older people appear not to be able to process multiple tasks as quickly and/or as well as younger adults and such impairments have been linked to falls in older people [5]. Figure 18.1 displays a hypothetical model of how the sensory, cognitive, and motor domains are inter-linked and how these factors and interactions might contribute to falls.

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Information
Falls in Older People
Risk Factors, Strategies for Prevention and Implications for Practice
 , pp. 287 - 310
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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