3-15 STOPS WALKING WHEN TALKING AS A
PREDICTOR OF FALLS IN ELDERLY PEOPLE
Some frail elderly patients stop walking when they start
a conversation with a walking companion, presumably
because walking demands attention and they stop when they
are expected to do two things at once.
These patients are likely to fall over the next 6 months.
Lancet March 1, 1997; 349: 617
3-15 STOPS WALKING WHEN TALKING AS A
PREDICTOR OF FALLS IN ELDERLY PEOPLE
Some frail elderly patients stop walking when they start
a conversation with a walking companion, presumably
because walking demands attention and they stop when they
are expected to do two things at once.
Are these patients more likely to fall?
Of 58 residents of a sheltered accommodation in Sweden,
12 stopped walking when a conversation started. Over the
next 6 months 10 (83%) of them fell. Of the 46 that
continued to walk while talking, 12 (26%) fell.
This sign is simple, costs nothing and needs no
equipment. Its predictive value was high. Lancet March 1, 1997; 349: 617 Original study
from Imea University, Sweden
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