W&M Center for Balance & Aging Studies Aims to Reduce Falls & Injuries Among Seniors

Researchers at William & Mary's Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences think they can prevent falls among older adults via evaluation and intervention, through the campus' Center for Balance and Aging Studies (CBAS). The center is currently performing a series of analysis and intervention sessions at Williamsburg Landing, a Life Plan Community for people 62 and older. "We try to identify people who are at high risk for falls so we can intervene now before they have that first fall," says W&M's Mike Deschenes. W&M's Evie Burnet oversees the CBAS assessments at the Landing using a GAITRite system, a computer-connected pathway that records each participant's footstep at a walking station. She says aging brings on gait changes, adding that "We're also interested in how much variation there is in one's step length or step width." In conjunction with a video camera, the GAITRite system lets the CBAS team record a subject's progress in three dimensions, as well as time. According to Deschenes, these various tests help identify the more at-risk residents, and their specific vulnerabilities. By assessing test results, CBAS will be able to flag at-risk participants.