The effects of physical activities on preventing falls among old adults (aged 65- 70) in the community

Abstract

Background: The world's aging population is growing as life expectancy rises. Older adults are particularly vulnerable to injury and death from falls, which can result in significant medical expenses. Mobility restrictions of older adults can have a significant impact on quality of life. Fall incidents are one of the most serious problems that older people face is falling. Falls- related injuries could be physical or psychological, affecting individual's ability to carry out daily living activities. Physical activity could reduce the rate of falls. Physical activity has a positive impact on bone and muscle health positive impact on preventing falls among older adults. Aims To investigate and examine the research demonstrating how exercise and physical activity might decrease falls in community-dwelling older individuals And determine how physical activity could assist community-dwelling older adults prevent falls. Methods This study will provide a narrative review of evidence. A comprehensive literature search was performed accessing online biomedical databases including; Pubmed, Scopus, MEDLINE and CINHAL. Search terms included; physical activities, falls, older adults, aged >65, falls prevention. Inclusion criteria were studies related to the topic, published between 2014 and 2022 and were written in English. Results Once the publication data was limited to 2014 to 2022, the literature search largely produced 120 articles. After eliminating duplicate content, (n=45) and eliminating other articles for other reasons (n=33). 12 suitable and relevant study papers were chosen as full text reviews, and complete copies of those papers were collected for analysis. Conclusions This review determined an extensive number of recent literatures on falls prevention. Exercise and physical activity can help prevent falls, falls-related injuries, and recurrent falls. By putting into place different exercises and physical activity programmes, such home-based exercise, older individuals who live in the community may be preserved from falls. An investigation of the included reviews and trials revealed that well-designed exercise programs effectively reduced the likelihood of falls in older adults. Some researchers suggested for additional studies regarding the role physical activity plays in preventing falls among older adults. More studies needed to focus on specific populations, such as females.