Date of Award

1997

Document Type

Scholarly Project

Degree Name

Master of Physical Therapy (MPT)

Department

Physical Therapy

First Advisor

Beverly Johnson

Keywords

Accidental Falls; Aged

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects low levels of lighting have on balance in healthy, community dwelling elders. The balance of 14 volunteer subjects (13 females and 1 male) who are older than 65, who live in · the community and who are generally healthy was tested. Each subject's balance was tested in both optimal and poor lighting conditions using the functional reach balance assessment tool. Subjects were given two practice trials and were then instructed to reach three times in each condition while the researcher measured the amount of light in the room and the distance of their reaches. Results showed that the subjects reached significantly further, or had better balance, under the bright conditions. This finding may be used as supplemental information to fall prevention tactics used by clinicians and patients alike.

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