1Professor and Principal
2Postgraduate Student
3Professor and Head of the Department Department of Neurology, Laxmi Memorial College of Physiotherapy, AJ Tower, Balmatta, Mangalore, India
Higher-functioning older adults refer to older adults aged 65 years and older who are active, ambulatory, and living independently in the community (eg, residential homes, independent living facilities, and retirement facilities). Aging progressively impairs sight, vestibular input, and somatosensory information, which results in a reduction of environmental perception and precision of movements. The objective of the study was to find the relationship between balance and activities of daily living in elderly individuals.
The study involved 30 subjects (community living and those identified from old age homes), aged 65 and above. Balance was assessed using Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Physical independence in daily activities was evaluated using the Barthel Index (BI). The Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to examine the relationship between the parameters evaluated. Significance was set at the level of 5% (p< 0.05).
The population's mean age was 78.37 ± 6.68 years. The mean BBS score was 51.87 ± 4.21, whereas the mean BI score was 94.67 ± 7.76. Statistically significant relationships were found between the BBS and BI (r =0.678; p=0.000).
The results showed a strong positive correlation (r =0.678) between bal ance and independence level. Results from a larger sample may be necessary to corroborate the findings of the present study.
balance, functional ability, elderly
