Addressing the Gaps in Elderly Falling Prevention from the Perspective of a Human-Centered Design

Abstract

People that were born during the “baby boom” are currently entering retirement age, which may bring about various issues. Elderly people may live longer than previous senior generations and experience more health issues that increase pressures on healthcare facilities. As this population grows, studying the issues that affect the elderly along with relevant solutions is vital. One such issue is falls, which cause various health-deteriorating consequences and even death in millions of seniors annually worldwide. Although numerous studies have been conducted on fall risk factors, there is still a gap in the study of interventions to address these factors. Here, a systematic literature review of all possible risk factors for falls and solutions addressing them was conducted. During the review process, certain gaps in interventions addressing the risk factors of falls were found. Hence, this study aimed to shed light on such gaps and provide insights on solutions from a human-centered design perspective.