| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立陽明大學 === 醫學工程研究所 === 99 === Aging is a serious health problem on the global village. Age-related changes in the older adults can affect their balance and increase an older adult’s risk for falls . These changes specifically affect the sensory system and motor system, which are responsible for good balance.
After a fall, an older adult can experience psychological, physical, social, economic, and sometimes fatal effects. The injuries can reduce an older adult’s mobility as well as independence and influence quality of life. As a result, decreasing the risk for falls in older adults is an important topic of medical care.
In addition to age-related changes, diseases, and medications, improper foot care and insufficient foot support can increase the risk for falls among older adults. Many older adults also have a result of fall-related injuries resulting from insufficient arch support system.
A longitudinal arch support mechanism of a insole resists depression of the foot’s arch, and it can provide an adequate insole arch control mechanism. Thus, the elderly with appropriate insole may increase postural stability and decrease the risk of fall.
The purpose of this study are to investigate the postural stability of the faller and non-faller elderly. Otherwise, we also observe the efficacy of different design insoles to exam the postural stability between the faller and non-faller elderly with eye open and closed by using the perturbation plateform.
Fifteen faller elderly and eighteen non-faller elderly were recruited in this study. The elderly were subjected to an exhaustive examination including the collection of demographic data, proprioceptive test, functional balance test, and Berg balance test, and dynamic balance assessment using the perturbation system.The dynamic balance assessment included barefoot and four insoles. During each test, the participants’ foot pressure and the center of pressure (CoP) were recorded and analyzed. Statistical analysis was performance using SPSS v. 17.0 software.
The faller elderly showed greater postural instability when eye open and eye closed condition than the non-faller elderly. Difference between the involvement of barefoot and four insoles in dynamic balance was found for both group. The results suggested the elderly with the appropriate insoles might decrease the risk for falls in the daily of life.
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