A systematic review of fear of falling measures and interventions

Fear of falling has become more than just a risk factor for falling, it has become a syndrome. More than 30% of all adults over the age of 65 are afraid of falling even if they have not experienced a fall. The systematic review revealed that while there are many measures of fear of falling being tested, none of them have been tested sufficiently without augmentation. More research needs to be done to find valid and reliable instruments that would allow researchers to measure the successfulness of their interventions. As of this review, there is only one intervention that has been done with a random sample and a control group. Additional research needs to be developed to reduce fear of falling, as the costs of medical care are rising with the number of baby-boomers who are aging.