Fear of imbalance and falling

Abstract

This review examines the relationship between dysequilibrium, falling and anxiety, and their combined impact on the lives of elderly people. More than one in four people aged over 69 fall each year, and a higher proportion of those over 74. Although only one in ten incurs serious injury as a direct result of the fall, fear of falling can often lead not only to psychological distress but also to restriction of activity and an unnecessary and undesirable loss of independence. Naturally, symptoms of imbalance constitute a key risk factor for falling.