Fear of Falling - Is it REAL or PERCEIVED?

Posted August 17, 2016

At the last Core Team Meeting (July), a question was purposed about “A perceived fear of falling”. Was there a prelude sensation to a fall? Was a perceived fear of falling for “Real” or was it “all-in-your-head”? Can you affect your state of self-awareness before a fall? Are there scans or assessments to aid in a perceived fear? The articles listed below are what I have found to answer these questions. Does anyone in the Loop membership have anything to add?

1. Lee F, Mackenzie L, James C. Perceptions of older people living in the community about their fear of falling. Disabil Rehabil. 2008;30(23):1803-11.

2. Stubbs B, West E, Patchay S, Schofield P. Is there a relationship between pain and psychological concerns related to falling in community dwelling older adults? A systematic review. Disabil Rehabil. 2014;36(23):1931-42.

3. Twibell RS, Siela D, Sproat T, Coers G. Perceptions Related to Falls and Fall Prevention Among Hospitalized Adults. Am J Crit Care. 2015 Sep;24(5):e78-85.

4. McInnes E, Seers K, Tutton L. Older people's views in relation to risk of falling and need for intervention: a meta-ethnography. J Adv Nurs. 2011 Dec;67(12):2525-36.

5. Boyd R, Stevens JA. Falls and fear of falling: burden, beliefs and behaviours. Age Ageing. 2009 Jul;38(4):423-8.

6. Vind AB, Andersen HE, Pedersen KD, Joergensen T, Schwarz P. Effect of a program of multifactorial fall prevention on health-related quality of life, functional ability, fear of falling and psychological well-being. A randomized controlled trial. Aging Clin Exp Res. 2010 Jun;22(3):249-54.

7. Høst D, Hendriksen C, Borup I. Older people's perception of and coping with falling, and their motivation for fall-prevention programmes. Scand J Public Health. 2011 Nov;39(7):742-8.


8. Dollard J, Braunack-Mayer A, Horton K, Vanlint S. Why older women do or do not seek help from the GP after a fall: a qualitative study. Fam Pract. 2014 Apr;31(2):222-8.

9. Kong KS, Lee Fk FK, Mackenzie AE, Lee DT. Psychosocial consequences of falling: the perspective of older Hong Kong Chinese who had experienced recent falls. J Adv Nurs. 2002 Feb;37(3):234-42.

10. Dollard J, Barton C, Newbury J, Turnbull D. Falls in old age: a threat to identity. J Clin Nurs. 2012 Sep;21(17-18):2617-25.

11. Delbaere K, Close JC, Brodaty H, Sachdev P, Lord SR. Determinants of disparities between perceived and physiological risk of falling among elderly people: cohort study. BMJ. 2010 Aug 18;341:c4165.

12. Wilson MM, Miller DK, Andresen EM, Malmstrom TK, Miller JP, Wolinsky FD. Fear of falling and related activity restriction among middle-aged African Americans. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2005 Mar;60(3):355-60.

13. Park JH, Cho H, Shin JH, Kim T, Park SB, Choi BY, Kim MJ. Relationship among fear of falling, physical performance, and physical characteristics of the rural elderly. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2014 May;93(5):379-86.

14. Grimbergen YA, Schrag A, Mazibrada G, Borm GF, Bloem BR. Impact of falls and fear of falling on health-related quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease. J Parkinsons Dis. 2013 Jan 1;3(3):409-13.

Please request any assistance needed locating the full-text version of these articles. I can be reached through the library service page on the Loop homepage.