การพัฒนาสมรรถภาพการทรงตัวและความกลัวการล้มของผู้สูงอายุหญิงในตำบลองครักษ์และบางลูกเสือจังหวัดนครนายกด้วยการบริการวิชาการชุมชน

Abstract

Objective: Promoting balance performance of elderly women to prevent falls is very important. This study aimed to follow up the effects of a proactive community-based service, by using a small group discussion with workshop practice of a home-based balance training program, on balance performances and fear of falls(FoF) of elderly women on the 4thweek (wk4) after the service. Methods:Data collected from balance promotingservice fortheelderly women living in Ongkharak and Bang-lookseirsubdistrics, Nakhonnayok, Thailand were analyzed. The data included of balance performances measured by Berg balance scale (BBS), functional reach test (FRT) and timed up and go test (TUG), and FoFevaluated by Thai geriatric fear of falling questionnaire before (wk0) and after the service on wk4. All parameters of wk0 were compared with that of wk4 by paired t-test. Results:Fifty women,aged 60-85 years (mean± SD, 71.06+6.96 years),attended the service andvolunteered to be re-evaluatedtheir balance performances and FoF on wk4 following self-exercisebythehome-based program for balance training of the service. On wk4, the elderly women significantlydemonstrated the better balance performances assessed by BBS, FRTand TUG(p=0.001,p=0.05andp=0.001respectively),and showed a lesser FoFcompared to wk0 significantly(p=0.001).Conclusion:The proactive community-based service of this study, implemented bya small group discussion with practical workshop of home-based balance training program, was an available balance promotion modelof the service for elderly women in community because it improved balance performances and reduced FoF of the elders.