ABSTRACT
Falls are common among older adults and recognized as a serious health concern (see also Chapters 9 and 10). However, newly emerging as a health concern is the phenomenon of fear of falling. This fear can be a sequela of a fall (1-3, 9, 16) or independent of a history of falls. Falls can result in negative psychological outcomes and a loss of confidence in physical ability that was earlier referred to as ‘‘post-fall syndrome’’ (1) and now termed ‘‘fear of falling’’ (4,5). Fear of falling may also lead to a ‘‘cautious’’ gait that in turn produces its own negative sequelae. Persons with greater fear of falling tend to perform poorly on balance and lower extremity functional mobility tasks (6). As such, when considering the factors that contribute to gait and mobility changes, it is important to consider fear of falling.
