Prevention and Intervention Approaches for Balance Impairment During the Aging Process
Chapter from the book:
Karakurt,
P.
&
Fırat,
M.
(eds.)
2025.
Current Approaches in The Field of Health.
Synopsis
Physiological, environmental, and psychosocial changes that occur with aging significantly increase the risk of balance disorders and falls in older individuals. This section discusses the structural and functional changes that occur in the vestibular, visual, and somatosensory systems during aging, and explains the impact of these changes on postural control, balance strategies, and activities of daily living. It also discusses how additional factors such as chronic diseases, multiple medication use, decreased cognitive function, and environmental risks can trigger balance loss. Physical activity, vestibular rehabilitation, technology-assisted practices, and environmental adjustments are intervention strategies for managing balance loss in the elderly. Exercise programs that include aerobic, strength, and resistance training have been shown to improve muscle strength, proprioceptive feedback, and postural stability, while vestibular rehabilitation has been shown to significantly improve vestibulo-ocular control, balance, and walking performance despite the decline in central plasticity with age. Technological approaches such as virtual reality and wearable sensors have been reported to contribute to rehabilitation by providing motivation, objective assessment, and real-life-like stimuli. It has been argued that home adjustments and counseling processes play a critical role in reducing the risk of falls, raising awareness, and improving treatment adherence. Consequently, managing balance disorders in older adults requires a holistic approach. The use of individualized assessment and intervention programs is the most effective method for improving independence, safety, and quality of life for older adults.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Papatya Karakurt- Meryem Fırat; Amine Nur Arıkan- Ayçin Köycekaş- Yahya Ateşpolat- Müdriye Yıldız Bıçakçı- Arif Caner Erdoğan- Bilgenur Karaçor- Mehmet Elmalı- Bürke Çırçırlı- Mert Can Emre- Cihan Adanaş- Sezai Özkan- Elem Kocaçal- Ertuğrul Sarı- İlyas Ün- Esra Kuran- Eren Canbolat- Mahir Coşkun- Azad Duman- Merve Kandazoğlu Erdem- Betül Karabudak- Simge Erdal- Meryem Fırat- Burcu Demir Gökmen- Mine Cengiz- Naime Çelik- Rauf Melekoğlu- Ayse Sebnem Erenler- Sanem Can Sarıoğlu- Esra Buğra- Deniz Uğur Cengiz- Selen Özdemir- Şeyda Yetginler Memiş- Ümit Topcuoğlu- Yasin Özden- Zehra Güveren- Gül Bülbül Maraş- Ahmet Utuş