Determining Older-Adult Rollator Users’ Characteristics, and the Effect of Rollator Use on Mobility and Its Association with Falls
Year: 2021
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Neuropsychological and physiological age-related changes in older adults directly affect safety and independence, especially with regards to balance and mobility. The rollator is commonly prescribed as part of a fall-prevention strategy to manage older adults’ fall risks, optimize function, and preserve safe and independent performance of everyday activities. However, emerging studies revealed the potential attentional demand of rollator use, as well as falls and injuries attributed to usage. Despite the increasing dependence on rollators by the aging population, limited knowledge exists of the contextual, demographic, physical, and cognitive characteristics of the older adults who use these assistive mobility devices, which are crucial to determining the association between rollator use and falls. To close this knowledge gap, this study focused on the cognitive, psychological, and physical determinants of mobility and the interplay with assistive mobility devices among older-adult residents in long-term-care retirement homes. From the focus, the following specific objectives were established: (1) to determine rollator users’ characteristics; (2) to assess the effect of dual-tasking on rollator use; and (3) to explore the association of fall history with rollator use and user characteristics. Subsequent research and observations for this dissertation revealed two findings: (1) the dual-tasking effect of rollators on gait performance, and (2) a positive association between fall history of older adults and the interaction effect of being a rollator user and dual-task step-time variability. Overall, these findings demonstrate that contextual, demographic, physical, and cognitive characteristics influence older adults’ use and reliance on the rollator and history of falls. On a broader level, this dissertation lays the foundation for the development of new assessment models that will better inform the prescription and use of rollators among older adults.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Solano, Ivan Galias
Language: English
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7133059549