Our Research

In order to prevent slips and falls, a person must be able to respond quickly, appropriately, and accurately to an unexpected stimulus. However, with increasing age, a person's ability to react quickly (i.e. their reaction time) tends to decrease. The consequence of this is that the likelihood of suffering a fall increases as the individual can no longer catch themselves in time to prevent a fall. Head injuries are one of the major adverse consequences that can arise from suffering a fall.

There were nearly 2.8 million fall-related brain injuries in adults over 75 years of age with 10% of those injuries being fatal. An interdisciplinary group of clinical researchers is investigating the effect of increasing age and neurological disease on head and whole-body reaction times. Targeting physiological mechanisms, such as slowed reaction time, and matching them to an intervention may help to decrease the incidence of fall-related head injuries in seniors.

Older individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are often at an increased risk of falling due to the combination of increasing age and the emergence of diabetes-related factors like diminished sensation (caused by neuropathy), declines in strength, cognitive function, and use of multiple prescription medications (polypharmacy). Our research team is interested in understanding which critical factors predict falls, how these factors are affected by everyday activities, and what interventions are most effective for reducing risk are lacking. We are particularly interested in what benefits different forms of exercise have on reducing fall risk for the population group. By determining the relative merits of different training protocols, we will gain insight as to most suitable fall prevention intervention for this population. Overall, our results will have wide application across medical and allied health areas for risk assessment and the development of appropriate interventions.

For older adults, the likelihood of suffering a fall is a major risk that can have dramatic implications for overall health and well-being. This increased risk is tied, in part, to the general age-related decline in physiological processes integral to the control of balance and gait, with decrements in strength, sensation, and cognitive processing all being key factors. The consequence of the decline is that the older person is less able to respond to everyday challenges when performing many activities of daily living.

A general feeling of being fatigued or tired has also been linked to an increased likelihood of suffering a fall, as the person who is tired may be less able to respond appropriately and/or in a timely fashion to challenges when performing daily activities such as walking outside or climbing stairs. One of our current research interests is to better understand the implications of fatigue and tiredness on the balance and walking ability of older adults and persons with neurological disease.