Attentional contributions to postural control are altered in older adults who fear falling

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis was to compare the contributions of attentional resources relevant to postural control between fall-fearful and non-fearful older adults. Levels of postural challenge and instructions of task prioritization were manipulated to obtain this goal. Results indicated that fall-fearful subjects demonstrated a reorganization of attentional resources when challenge to upright standing was imposed. Additionally, only non-fearful subjects demonstrated flexibility in the prioritization of the cognitive task. However both fall-fearful and non-fearful subjects demonstrated flexibility in the prioritization of the postural task. Findings suggested that fall-fearful older adults reorganize the allocation of attentional resources differently than non-fearful counterparts, potentially placing them at greater risk for falling as their awareness of the external environment and threats to balance may be compromised.