Interpreting fear of falling in the elderly: what do we need to consider?

Abstract

Fear of falling (FF) is a serious problem in elderly. Available scales quantify FF by generating an aggregate total FF score disregarding the environment in which fear is expressed. This study examined the differences in psychosocial and physical characteristics and global functional capabilities between the elderly who experienced FF exclusively for activities usually performed in community environments and those who reported FF only for home-based activities.