Fear of falling is a problem among community-dwelling elderly, even those who have not experienced a fall or injury. This fear can lead to restrictions in life style, and has been associated with poor mobility, depression and frailty. Few studies have reported interventions to reduce fear of falling and its consequences. As a result, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an exercise and fall prevention program in reducing fear of falling in community-dwelling older adults. The study will be a controlled trial of a three-month exercise and education program to reduce risk factors for falls and educate people about falls and fear of falling. Subjects will be recruited from the community and randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. Measures will include the Falls Efficacy Scale, Fear of Falling Questionnaire, as well as a number of measures of fragility, depression, life satisfaction and participation in activities.
