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. 2022 Jun;26(2):83-93.
doi: 10.4235/agmr.22.0016. Epub 2022 Jun 8.

Fear of Falling and Environmental Factors: A Scoping Review

Claudia Liliana Valencia Rico  1   2 , Carmen Lucía Curcio  2
Affiliations

Fear of Falling and Environmental Factors: A Scoping Review

Claudia Liliana Valencia Rico et al. Ann Geriatr Med Res. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Fear of falling is a geriatric condition that must be understood from both a clinical perspective and from the environment in which older adults live. This review aimed to describe the scientific evidence reported in the last 5 years regarding the fear of falling in older adults and its relationship with environmental factors. The relationships between fear of falling and environmental factors are mainly evidenced in the built environment. Older adults with a fear of falling are described as perceiving the built environment as dangerous when they do not meet the requirements of safety, accessibility, and comfort; they also report the importance of living in communities with controlled crime levels and available social support for older adults to improve their insecurity and feelings of vulnerability.

Keywords: Aged; Environment; Fear of falling; Healthy aging.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The researchers claim no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Information flow diagram for the different phases of the review.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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