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The fear of falling in older people can affect health, well‐being, care needs and quality of life. Fall‐monitoring equipment that can automatically raise a call for assistance is increasingly being developed, and may reduce the fear of falling. This study sought to discover the views of users and providers on technology of this type of and to quantify the impact fall detectors have on the fear of falling. The results of the study suggest that fall‐monitoring equipment is not considered routinely as part of a care package, and knowledge of devices is poor. A trial of automatic fall detectors provided indicated that they may reduce fear of falling for certain users and so should be considered in falls management, but more evidence and understanding are required to appreciate both the benefits and shortfalls of providing equipment of this sort.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of participating in an eight‐week physical training (ie. balance or weight training) on psychosocial outcomes for independently living healthy older adults. Eighteen older adults (65 years old or older) voluntarily participated in this study. Participants were randomly and evenly distributed in three different groups such as balance, weight or control group; six participants in each. Fear of falling and social activity levels were statistically tested by evaluating questionnaires validated in previous studies. Psychological factors improved in all groups after eight weeks (P < 0.05). Social interaction levels did not improve in any of the three groups, although all participants exhibited improvements in being physically independent (P < 0.05). Results suggested that being physically active as well as being socially active could result in being less fearful of falls, more confident of leaving residency, being more independent, and being more active.

The purpose of this paper is to appraise the possible response outcomes (no response, fear control or danger control) of a fear-based message on falling behind current medical knowledge among health-care professionals (HCPs).

This study was conducted using a quantitative research design. A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 2,873 health-care facilities across 36 districts of Punjab. The Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM) provided a theoretical framework for this study. The important components to EPPM such as threat, efficacy and outcomes were used to collect the data. The collected data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.

HCPs perceived high susceptibility and threat of falling behind current medical knowledge. A majority of the HCPs were at the danger control process and engaged in a behavior that is recommended for adaptive behavioral changes. Clinical experience and enrollment in post-graduation programs (e.g. FCPS, MCPS) were significant factors as to HCPs’ perceived response efficacy.

The responses were obtained using a structured questionnaire, which is always subject to respondents’ personal biases and ability to understand the question’s statement.

This study has important implications in terms of introducing promotional, educational and logistical interventions that could help in HCPs overcoming the fear of falling behind current medical knowledge and develop productive and adoptive information behavior thus improving patient care and outcome.

This is the first large-scale empirical study in Pakistan that measured the level of threat and efficacy among HCPs using the EPPM. It proposes a framework for developing long-lasting adaptive information behavioral changes that may result in informed patient care and better decision-making.

Excessive use of work-related information technology (IT) devices can lead to major performance and well-being concerns for organizations. Extant research has provided evidence of the incidence of such problematic IT use in organizations. We extend the understanding of problematic IT use by examining its individual (proximal) and organizational (distal) antecedents.

Drawing from the self-worth theory and the concept of fear of being left behind, we address proximal antecedents that lead to problematic IT use. Drawing from the concept of autonomy paradox, we address distal antecedents of problematic IT use through a positive association with the two proximal antecedents. We report the results of a field study involving 846 individuals who use IT for work. Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the data.

The results indicate that the proximal antecedents (IT insecurity and fear of missing out) are positively associated with problematic IT use. The distal antecedents (IT use autonomy and involvement facilitation) are positively associated with the proximal antecedents except for the relationship between IT use autonomy and IT insecurity, which was found statistically non-significant. Furthermore, fear of missing out fully mediates the effect of IT use autonomy on problematic IT use, whereas IT insecurity and fear of missing out fully mediate the effects of involvement facilitation on problematic IT use.

The paper theoretically extends the understanding of problematic IT use and identifies novel its proximal and distal antecedents.

Although older women are at disproportionate risk of falling and becoming injured, little is known about the effect of falling on their quality of life. In this qualitative study, we examined the perceived causes of falling among older women, identified how older women's quality of life is influenced by falls, and explored how women can be empowered to prevent falls from occurring in their lives. Women who participated in focus groups indicated that the consequences of falling ranged in severity and duration and encompassed physical and psychosocial domains. The women took some ownership of preventing falls in their lives and believed that falls were caused by factors in the physical environment and personal health factors and practices. The results allow us to gain insight into the consequences of falls on the lives of older women, and that older women can influence change by preventing falls from occurring in their lives.

Age-related processes are marked by physiological, psychological and social decline, threatening health, quality of life, functional status and the mobility of individuals. As the impact of demographic change also begins to affect persons with intellectual disabilities (ID), issues and needs regarding the aging process are slowly entering the field of ID research. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

In the population of older people with ID, important, age-related events such as falls have prompted increasing research. Falls may lead to several negative health outcomes, require that an individual receives higher levels of care sometimes including hospitalisation and, in the worst case, hasten death. Falls also lead to psychological consequences such as fear of falling which fuels a vicious circle in which older persons afraid of falling reduce their physical activity, in turn hastening their functional decline.

Fall prevention in persons with ID is just evolving and further research is clearly necessary. This research can draw on the existing evidence from other fall prevention areas, especially the work carried out with the general older population.

As stated by Finlayson, a useful next step would be the development of a consensus on the definitions and methodology that should underpin future fall prevention research with persons with ID.

The purpose of the study is to assess the usability and acceptability of FallCheck, a Web app that allows users to complete home-hazard assessments within their own home, with a group of people at risk of falling and their carers.

This mixed method study used an online survey followed by semi-structured telephone interviews to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. A Think-Aloud study was used to test usability of the Web app through structured tasks.

Findings showed that FallCheck was easy to use with few usability issues. The Web app was deemed appropriate to use by people at risk of falling (young or old) or by carers if appropriate. The depth of knowledge provision and breadth of content was acceptable, and many participants reported subsequently making changes to their home environment to reduce their risk of falling. Overall, the majority of participants reported feelings of improved confidence and safety with an increased awareness of fall risks and a reduction in fear of falling at home.

FallCheck has good acceptability and usability with people at risk of falling and their carers and has the potential to improve access to home-hazard assessment and affect behavioural change regarding fall risk hazards and behaviour.

This study describes successful use of an app that may be helpful in identifying home-hazards and making changes to reduce risk of falls, particularly in the absence of occupational therapy intervention and has the potential for integration into falls care pathways.

The aim of this review is to explore recent literature regarding the development of fall detector technology as part of a service evaluation on the use of fall detectors across the region funded by NHS West Midlands. It also aims to explore the application and the use of products designed to detect falls and alert for help from end‐user and health and social care staff perspectives.

A comprehensive review of the literature of the last ten years was conducted, search terms were used to identify relevant literature from research databases and the main themes from the literature were summarised. This work was carried out to inform a service evaluation of the use of fall detectors across the West Midlands region and was funded by NHS West Midlands.

It was found that whilst there are a wide variety of new technologies regarding fall detectors in development, the range of technologies currently available through health and social services to users are limited. Health and social care staff appear to be less convinced of the benefits of fall detectors than end‐users. There was also a lack of robust evidence regarding different approaches to technology in the management and detection of falls. Users had mixed views regarding the use of fall detectors, with some people having concerns about privacy, lack of human contact, user‐friendliness and appropriate training, whilst others clearly identified the benefits of detecting falls and raising an alert. The implications of these findings for practice are discussed.

This paper will be of value to those working in falls services, telecare or industry partners developing fall detector technology.

Older adults are at a high risk of falling. The consequences of falls are worse when the person is unable to get up afterward. Thus, an intelligent video monitoring system (IVS) was developed to detect falls and send alerts to a respondent. This study aims to explore the implementation of the IVS at home.

A multiple case study was conducted with four dyads: older adults and informal caregivers. The IVS was implemented for two months at home. Perceptions of the IVS and technical variables were documented. Interviews were thematically analyzed, and technical data were descriptively analyzed.

The rate of false alarms was 0.35 per day. Participants had positive opinions of the IVS and mentioned its ease of use. They also made suggestions for improvement.

This study showed the feasibility of a two-month implementation of this IVS. Its development should be continued and tested with a larger experimental group.