Great presentation! This is an excellent topic, and one that I feel will never be overstated, as the fear of falling and fall prevention will always be a relevant topic in the nursing community. Also, being Filipina myself, I can attest to the cultural differences you mentioned. My older relatives rely heavily on home remedies and often do not like to bring up any medical issues they might have, as they don’t want to be a burden to the rest of the family. That said, you’ll find the Filipino community very welcoming and friendly once you get to know them, so don’t worry too much!
I like how you mentioned the specifics in regards to local services available that help with fall prevention. I’ve never had a chance to look too much into this topic, and was surprised to see Tai-Chi on the list! Unfortunately, while these services are abundant in more populated urban communities, often times rural communities have little or none of these types of services available to the elderly. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) — a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — the percentage of elderly in rural areas is 15% compared to 12% in urban areas and it is expected that the elderly population in rural areas will continue to grow at high rate (HRSA, 2015). Furthermore, services that may help with reducing the fear of falling often cost money, and rural elderly tend to have higher poverty rates and poorer health than their urban counterparts. While tackling this issue may be within an acceptable realm of sight in urban communities, the fact remains that a large portion of the U.S. elderly population that reside in outlying rural areas will continue to suffer from the fear of falling with no real solutions to help alleviate this problem.
Thank you for your input regarding the Filipino community! I’m hoping that I do well.
I had no idea and honestly had not really thought about the differences between rural and urban areas in regards to the senior population. Thank you for bringing that up. It gives me something to ponder in reaching a broad spectrum of elderly regarding this issue.
Your powerpoint was very well done and covered an interesting topic. The fear of falling, or basophobia, is actually fairly common in people, especially older adults. The problem with an increased fear response in reaction to the threat of falling is that it can actually increase your chance of falling. Fear of falling can effect balance and increase anxiety in older adults leading to increased risk of falling. I found an interesting read that talked about how a person’s gait and posture are negatively effected by anxiety and fear. This change is usually referred to as stiffening behavior. (Young & Williams, 2014) This change in how you stand and how you walk makes you more likely to fall. This fear could be causing this response in many older adults. Anxiety also negatively effects your ability to focus and pay attention to your environment while walking.
Great presentation! This is an excellent topic, and one that I feel will never be overstated, as the fear of falling and fall prevention will always be a relevant topic in the nursing community. Also, being Filipina myself, I can attest to the cultural differences you mentioned. My older relatives rely heavily on home remedies and often do not like to bring up any medical issues they might have, as they don’t want to be a burden to the rest of the family. That said, you’ll find the Filipino community very welcoming and friendly once you get to know them, so don’t worry too much!
I like how you mentioned the specifics in regards to local services available that help with fall prevention. I’ve never had a chance to look too much into this topic, and was surprised to see Tai-Chi on the list! Unfortunately, while these services are abundant in more populated urban communities, often times rural communities have little or none of these types of services available to the elderly. According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) — a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — the percentage of elderly in rural areas is 15% compared to 12% in urban areas and it is expected that the elderly population in rural areas will continue to grow at high rate (HRSA, 2015). Furthermore, services that may help with reducing the fear of falling often cost money, and rural elderly tend to have higher poverty rates and poorer health than their urban counterparts. While tackling this issue may be within an acceptable realm of sight in urban communities, the fact remains that a large portion of the U.S. elderly population that reside in outlying rural areas will continue to suffer from the fear of falling with no real solutions to help alleviate this problem.
References:
https://www.ncoa.org/wp-content/uploads/Rural-Outreach_Ann.pdf
Thank you for your input regarding the Filipino community! I’m hoping that I do well.
I had no idea and honestly had not really thought about the differences between rural and urban areas in regards to the senior population. Thank you for bringing that up. It gives me something to ponder in reaching a broad spectrum of elderly regarding this issue.
Your powerpoint was very well done and covered an interesting topic. The fear of falling, or basophobia, is actually fairly common in people, especially older adults. The problem with an increased fear response in reaction to the threat of falling is that it can actually increase your chance of falling. Fear of falling can effect balance and increase anxiety in older adults leading to increased risk of falling. I found an interesting read that talked about how a person’s gait and posture are negatively effected by anxiety and fear. This change is usually referred to as stiffening behavior. (Young & Williams, 2014) This change in how you stand and how you walk makes you more likely to fall. This fear could be causing this response in many older adults. Anxiety also negatively effects your ability to focus and pay attention to your environment while walking.
Source
Young, W., & Williams, M. (2014, September 22). How fear of falling can increase fall-risk in older adults: Applying psychological theory to practical observations. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096663621400705X