Experience Using Multi-Technology for Fall Risk Assessments Among Low-Income Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment.
Eunice Oladepe Ojo, Ladda Thiamwong, Victoria Loerzel
PMID 39431760WHAT IT FOUND
Fourteen older adults with mild cognitive impairment found fall-risk devices acceptable, but needed simple instructions and support.
For nurses, teach device use step by step and check for balance or charging problems before relying on results.
Key findings
01Most participants enjoyed using the devices, understood the instructions, and would use them again after the study.
02Participants valued tracking and feedback because it showed what they had done and what they needed to improve.
03Some participants reported challenges: impaired balance, limited mobility, tiredness during balance testing, one near fall, and a Fitbit charging problem.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
All participants were women, and men declined, so the experience may not apply to men. Only 14 low-income older adults living independently in Central Florida were interviewed, so results may not transfer to other settings, incomes, living situations, or cognitive severity. The study asked about experience after using multi-technology; it did not test whether the devices improved fall risk, balance, activity, or falls. Interviews were semi-structured and may have missed information not asked. Phone interviews lacked observation of non-verbal communication.
Declared interests
The article lists NIH extramural research support, and the work was part of a larger parent study (R01MD018025). Authors reported no financial conflicts; an author serves as an unpaid board member and grants committee chairperson of the Southern Nursing Research Society.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that multi-technology assessment prevents falls or improves function. This was a qualitative interview study of 14 women with mild cognitive impairment describing their experience, not a trial of effectiveness.