Falls and unsteadiness of gait are major problems faced by many elderly people. More than 150,000 hip fractures in elderly persons result from falls each year in the United Staes; the cost of these falls exceeds 1 billion dollars annually. With the exception of some studies of stairway accidents, we know of no actual recording of falls of elderly people. This lack of a clear objective record of the event has limited the ability of resarchers to determine factors worthy of study in order to most effectively contribute to prevention. A video recording system consisting of video cameras and videotape recorders controlled by a domestic microcomputer will be used to continuously record activity within the day care centre of a major geriatric centre. Whenever a fall occurs a member of staff will activate a single switch which will cause all of the tape drives to stop. The reearchers will then retrieve a record of the two hour period leading up to the fall. This record will be subjected to a detailed analysis which, it is anticipated, will provide new insight into the causes of falls and will provide information about postural control strategies used during a falling event. If such factors can be identifed, then measures to alter these factors may reduce the incidence of falling and the subsequent morbidity associated with the fall.
