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Hi all
I am a third year podiatry student and I am thinking of investigating about why people wear slipper for my research project as this is the cause of many falls in the elderly. i was wondering if any one out there has any advice as i may be barking up the wrong tree and if so does anyone have any other ideas for a third year research project i would be greatful.
Thankyou Nadia W.

 

Without wishing to dampen your enthusiasm, I was involved in a small pilot project in N. Yorks approx 3 years ago examining why elderly people fell. Conclusions drawn from this pilot did not "blame" slippers, but highlighted the fact that the significant majority of those persons who were at risk of falling were housebound. The respondents cited numerous reasons, not all of them footwear related for falling, eg poorly lit rooms, rugs, door threshes, overfurnished rooms, polypharmacy and medical conditions such as macular degeneration.

Thus, are housebound people more likely to fall, probably. But has anyone proved that?

 

Nads

You would need to speak to Dr Hylton Menz who has a research background in falls and falls prevention. Hylton subscribes to the Arean and will pick up your enquiry I dare say.

From the little I know causation of falls in the elderly are quite complex to analyse and there are different patterns from frail ambulent to communitry dwelling elderly. Men slip and women trip is a gross generalisation for the latter but Hylton should be able to give you chapter and verse. Most people fall backwards, falls tend to happen in the afternoon (when it is bright) and often the person is doing several things when the event occurs. Postural hypertension is not a major contribution in most falls (at least according to the literature I have read) and falling upstairs is less frequent than falling on flat surfaces. Men are more likely to change habits after a fall whereas women tend to carry on as before. Most of my reading has been on falls within the community dwelling elderly but speaking to Falls Prevention people the complexity of floor surfaces in frail ambulant accommodation where there may be more concentration given to cleaning surfaces than coefficient of friction, then slippers may contribuite to falls, but conditions apply.


Good hunting
Cameron