Shafaqna English- Researchers at Virginia Tech are using wrist-worn voice recorders to capture real-world data to understand better what happens when people lose their balance.
This new method lets participants record their experiences immediately after an incident, providing more accurate and detailed information. In this study, 30 participants wore voice recorders on their wrists over three weeks, and in the event of balance loss, turned them on to record answers to these key questions:
When and where did the balance loss occur? What were they doing at the time? How did they attempt to regain their balance — did they grab a railing, take steps, or sit down? Why do they think they lost their balance? And did they fall?
The findings were recently published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society and highlight how voice-recorders captured the moment when participants, who averaged around 72 years of age, lost their balance.
The study concludes that among older adults, voice recorders are effective at capturing the circumstances and context in which they lost their balance and potentially fell, without relying on recall later. “Researchers are trying to give clinicians the tools to intervene before a fall occurs,” said Madigan.
Source: sciencedaily