Exposure Therapy for Fear of Falling in Older Adults

Approximately 7-14% of older adults living independently in the community, including more than 5% of those who have never experienced a fall, experience moderate to severe fear of falling. Fear of falling leads to decreased physical activity, disability, loss of independence, depression, anxiety, reduced social engagement, and poor quality of life. It is also a major independent risk factor for falls.

Interventions targeting fear of falling, typically delivered in groups and incorporating cognitive restructuring, education, and exercise, have been shown to increase fall-related self-efficacy. Avoidance is resistant to treatment, however, and more than one-third of patients enrolled in these interventions drop out. Factors associated with attrition include high levels of fear and avoidance, indicating that the individuals most in need of such programs are those most likely to withdraw prematurely. These data suggest that avoidance should be targeted in treatment, and that interventions should be designed to reach very fearful individuals who are most likely to drop out of traditional fear of falling programs.

Participation in this study will last up to 8 months. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either the ABLE intervention or an education control condition. The control condition will consist of in-person education about falls to control for the time and attention provided in the ABLE arm.

Inclusion criteria

• Age 65 years old or older.
• Severe fear as measured by a brief FES-I score > or = 13.
• Low to moderate actual risk of falls as set out in Lamb et al. (2008).
• Distress or functional impairment due to fear of falling.
• Approval from the patient's primary health care provider.

Exclusion criteria

• Medical condition that would interfere with the safe conduct of the intervention or compromise study participation.
• Bedbound, wheelchair-dependent, paralyzed in the lower extremities, or requiring the assistance of another person to transfer, walk, or perform intervention exercises within the home.
• Dementia or cognitive impairment as measured by a score above 10 on the Blessed Orientation Memory Test.
• Corrected visual acuity < 20/60.
• Current participation in psychotherapy or professional rehabilitation services (PT, OT) or in the process of being referred or evaluated for such services. Patients who develop a need for such services during their participation will complete an assessment prior to commencing the outside therapy but will be allowed to continue in the study.
• Active suicidal ideation
• Lifetime diagnosis of bipolar I or II disorder or any psychotic disorder.
• Alcohol or other substance abuse or dependence within six months.
• Psychosocial factors that would compromise study participation (e.g. homelessness, no telephone).
• History of osteoporotic fracture.
• Experiencing 3 or more falls in the past year.
• Body Mass Index of 17.0 or under.
• Significant orthostasis, defined as a 20 point or greater difference between seated and standing blood pressure, either systolic or diastolic.