Falls in older people with type 2 diabetes mellitus : implications for specific and generic risk detection
Year: 2013
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: For the first time in human history, the population of older adults (60+) is about to outnumber all other (younger) age categories.This enormous boom of the ageing population poses some major challenges to the older individual, his/her surroundings, health care services and society.In any age category but especially in older adults, a satisfying quality of life starts with a good physical health.Initiatives to ensure or optimize the quality of life of the aged are therefore required.This doctoral thesis takes a closer look at fall risk factors among older adults with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM).As falls and T2DM are both very common in the older population and form major threats to one's quality of life, prevention strategies for falls, T2DM and especially the detrimental association seem mandatory.Before appropriate and specific prevention programs can be developed, a proper understanding and identification of population specific risk factors should however be obtained.In the initial Chapter 1 the background on falls and diabetes and its interrelationships will be outlined based on the extensive existing scientific literature.Part One and Part Two contain our own studies.Part One presents our main paper in which risk factors for falls are identified among a mixed cohort of older adults with and without T2DM by means of an extensive baseline assessment in combination with a one-year follow-up for falls (Chapter 2).In Part Two some potentially crucial and intriguing but often less focused interfering fall risk factors are scrutinized.The influence of peripheral nerve function and cognition on gait and postural control were assessed in older adults with and without T2DM (Chapter 3 and 4) whereas the impact of different types of footwear on gait was assessed in healthy older women (Chapter 5).The final chapter (Chapter 6) provides a critical reflection of the findings of this doctoral thesis in relation to the existing literature.Important points of interest for health care workers (physiotherapists in particular) are highlighted and concepts for future research are suggested.I sincerely hope that this doctoral thesis may capture the reader's attention, contribute to the existing domain-specific scientific insights and knowledge, and may improve the geriatric clinical practice.
Author: Tine Roman de Mettelinge
Language: English
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2210803002