Exercise Therapy For Prevention Of Falls In People With Parkinsons Disease: A Randomised Controlled Trial.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$598,820.00
Summary
Despite optimal medication regimes, people with Parkinson's disease frequently and recurrently experience falls. Up to 68% of the 100,000 people living in Australia with Parkinson's disease fall every year and fall-related injuries are the most common reason why people with Parkinson's disease are admitted to hospital. This project will implement an exercise program targeting risk factors for falls and will determine the efficacy and the cost effectiveness of the program.
I am an aged care rehabilitation researcher seeking to minimise disability and prevent falls in large numbers of older people. I am particularly interested in the role of exercise in falls and disability prevention.
Falls and broken bones are costly health problems among the elderly, even more so when there is a growing older population aged over 65 years. In Australia about 1 million older people have at least one fall each year and about 40-60% will sustain major injuries including broken bones. Therefore there is a need to identify effective ways to reduce falls and improve outcomes of those who break a bone, especially of the hip.
Understanding And Preventing Physical And Cognitive Decline And Falls In Older People With Dementia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$509,626.00
Summary
Falls are common in people with dementia and are more likely to result in injury, death and institutionalisation. There is limited evidence that falls can be prevented in this group. Strategies aimed at maintaining independence and preventing decline and falls are urgently needed. This research will a) further our understanding of fall risk and functional decline and b) explore novel fall and decline prevention programs, including the use of technology in older people with dementia.
Falls Risk Associated With Cataract And After First And Second Eye Cataract Surgery
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$801,559.00
Summary
Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed elective surgery in Australia, with approximately 200,000 surgeries each year. However, vision impairment due to cataract is relatively common and around 1.7 million Australians are affected at any one time. Cataract-related vision impairment has many negative consequences including increased risk of falls. The findings of this research will inform strategies for reducing falls and engageing with the ophthalmic health care sector on the critical is ....Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed elective surgery in Australia, with approximately 200,000 surgeries each year. However, vision impairment due to cataract is relatively common and around 1.7 million Australians are affected at any one time. Cataract-related vision impairment has many negative consequences including increased risk of falls. The findings of this research will inform strategies for reducing falls and engageing with the ophthalmic health care sector on the critical issue of falls injury for older people.Read moreRead less
Bridging The Gap Between Laboratory And Clinic Using Low Cost, High Tech Physical Function Assessment Tools
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$428,065.00
Summary
Gold-standard testing protocols for assessing standing balance, gait and activities of daily living is often a primary focus for therapeutic interventions. They often incorporate multiple force platforms and 3D motion analysis, which provide valuable information however the time, cost and infrastructure required excludes their use in normal clinical practice. This fellowship examines the potential efficacy of low cost, widely available alternatives such as video gaming devices and smart phones.
I-Medic (Intelligent Monitoring And Early Diagnosis In Communities)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$307,946.00
Summary
Falls cost $500 million annually and are increasing as our population ages. Dr Brodie has developed i-Medic, Intelligent Monitoring and Early Diagnosis In Communities. He is answering the questions: Why do people fall? How can we predict falls? And how do we prevent falls? His software, which may be incorporated into all future mobile phones, is capable of detecting, predicting and therefore preventing falls. In the event of a fall the software also activates an emergency response.
Widespread Implementation Of Interventions To Prevent Falls In Older People
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,565,291.00
Summary
A major new fall prevention intervention will be implemented and funded by the NSW Department of Health who is the partner organisation for this application. The researchers have worked closely with NSW Health for many years and together we now propose a research program to evaluate the NSW Health initiative and guide future interventions.