My foot slips on a loose tile and for a split-second I鈥檓 flailing in mid-air, but then I feel a comforting tug as my harness pulls me upright. I鈥檓 at the falls prevention lab in Sydney, where a first-of-its-kind obstacle course has been designed to make seniors fall over 鈥� and then instinctively learn how not to.
One-third of people over the age of 65 fall every year, often as a result of poorer eyesight, weaker muscles or dizziness caused by illness or medication. When older people fall, they are more likely to break bones, setting off a train of health problems 鈥� a quarter of adults aged 69 or older who fracture their hip .
Training to prevent this usually involves balance exercises, such as practising standing on one leg. But these don鈥檛 adequately prepare people for unexpected hazards like a wet floor or a pet camouflaged on a carpet, says at Neuroscience Research Australia. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why we designed this obstacle course, so that people can learn to react better when things like this come up in real life,鈥� he says.
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Before I try out the course, I strap on knee, shin and toe pads just to be safe. Next, Lord and colleague attach my harness, which is like a big nappy hanging from the ceiling. Finally, they cover me in reflective stickers so they can track my motion using special cameras.
Hidden dangers
The 10-metre-long obstacle course looks pretty benign 鈥� similar to a tiled bathroom floor. However, it is actually full of booby traps, including loose tiles and spring-loaded planks of wood that pop up without warning.
I鈥檓 a little nervous as I gingerly step onto the course. I can鈥檛 help shrieking when the first trap gives me a fright and makes me stumble. But then it starts to become fun, and I relax enough to notice how my body instinctively keeps me on my feet. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e gradually building up muscle memory so you remember how not to fall,鈥� says Okubo.
The researchers monitor my progress by recording how heavily I fall each time. If the harness catches 30 per cent of my body weight or more, they know I would have hit the floor without it. Fortunately, my average fall load is about 10 per cent of my body weight, which I鈥檓 told is appropriate for my thirty-something age bracket.
They also analyse how I react to the traps by studying the stick-figure avatar that has been copying my movements. It shows that I instinctively stop myself from falling by flinging my arms out sideways and bending my knees at the right angle to maintain my centre of balance.
Fewer falls
So far 40 people between the ages of 65 and 90 have been trained on this course, each undergoing three 40-minute sessions. Tests show that by the end, participants were half as likely to fall on the obstacle course as those who had undergone sham training in which no traps were set on the course. The custom-built harness, which uses a hydraulic system to catch people gently as they fall, has prevented participants from sustaining any injuries during training.
The team is planning to study whether this training results in fewer falls in real life. 鈥淎necdotally, participants have told us it鈥檚 helped them and they鈥檙e even getting their friends to sign up,鈥� says Okubo. In 2018, the lab will also start inviting people with Parkinson鈥檚 disease and multiple sclerosis 鈥� who are especially at risk of falling 鈥� for training.
at the University of Sydney says research is increasingly showing that exercises that challenge balance and involve lots of movement work best for preventing falls. These should ideally begin before older people have their first fall, she says. 鈥淢ost falls will just result in a minor cut or bruise, but it鈥檚 the psychology that changes,鈥� she says. 鈥淧eople often become more fearful about falling and stop doing physical activity and going out, and that鈥檚 when things can go downhill.鈥�
Lord thinks the training has even helped him. After doing some pilot testing of the obstacle course himself earlier this year, he slipped on a wet grassy slope while walking back to his car. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 see it coming 鈥� I just felt the ground suddenly give way 鈥� but I was able to quickly react and stay on my feet,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t made me think, 鈥極kay, that wasn鈥檛 so bad, I feel more confident now鈥�.鈥�
After the harness comes off and I have to support my own body weight again, I find that I am more conscious of where I place my feet and how my leg muscles stabilise the rest of my body. Hopefully next time my cat suddenly runs between my legs, I will be able to put my new skills to good use.
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