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Mobility, falls and exercise
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ON-GOING PROJECTS

• EMERCOIR
  Date: 2008-
  Staff: Antoni Salvà, Xavier Rojano
  Funding: Fondo de Investigación Sanitaria
  FIS Code: PI08/90162
  Clinical trials register code: NCT00888953
  Summary: Study made in 10 nursing homes, where the risk of falling of the residents is assessed using a questionnaire. In 5 of the centers the residents get the usual care, while in the other 5 follow a standarised treatment protocol according to the detected risk factors and health status. The aims of the study are:
  -To test the utility of a questionnaire to asess falling risk factors
  -To test the utility of the interventions to reduce falls.

• WALKING SPEED AS A VITAL SIGN IN THE ELDERLY
  Date: 2008- 2009
  Coordination: Marco Inzitari
  Funding: Merk
  Summary: Walking speed over a short course is a well demonstrated predictor of negative outcomes, such as falls, disability, institutionalization and death, even in initially independent older adults. However, this measure has not penetrated the consciousness of clinicians and health providers. The University of Pittsburgh, USA, is pulling together different major epidemiolgical studies on older adults, and, using a meta-analytic procedure, aims at consolidating the evidence about walking speed as a new "vital sign" in this population (PI Stephanie Studenski). Marco Inzitari seves as the PI, for this project, of the InChianti study, which so far is the only european survey included in the project. The InChianti is a longitudinal population-based study on the determinants of mobility disability in older adults, and his PI is Dr Luigi Ferrucci, Director of the Longitudinal Study Branch of the National Institute of Aging (USA).
  
  
• GAIT AND MOBILITY IN DIFFERENT DEMENTIA SUBTYPES
  Date: 2008-
  Coordination: Marco Inzitari, Antoni Salvà
  Funding: Col·legi de Fisioterapeutes de Catalunya (Physical therapists organization of Catalonia)
  Summary: The study aims at investigating differences in gait and mobility, in the contributing physiologic subsystems and in the association with falls among different dementia subtypes and normal age- and sex-matched older adults.
  
  
• DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A RISK OF FALLING ASSESSMENT INSTRUMENT
  Date: 2005-2007
  Coordination: Antoni Salvà
  Funding: Own
  Summary: Validation of a risk scale applicable in primary care and nursing homes to facilitate the assessment of risk and intervention.
  
  
  

FINALISED PROJECTS

• PROFANE. ("Prevention falls Network Europe").
  Date: 2003-
  EC Code :QLK6-CT-2002-02705
  Coordination: Antoni Salvà
  Funding: European Comission
  Summary:
  European Network dedicated to the study of the prevention of falls in the elderly. It is financed by an European Comission grant.
  Publication: Skelton DA, Salvà A. Prevención de caídas basada en la evidencia en Europa Revista española de geriatría y gerontología 2005; 40 (supl. 2) 64-69
  Website: www.profane.eu.org
  
  
• INCIDENCE AND CONSEQUENCES OF FALLS AMONG ELDERLY PEOPLE LIVING IN THE COMMUNITY
  Date: 2004
  Coordination: Antoni Salvà
  Funding: Own
  Summary: Incidence and consequences of falls among elderly people living in the community. Project which consists of an analysis of the data of a previous field work. The first article has been published in Medicina clínica.
  Publication: Salvà A, Bolíbar I, Pera G, Arias C."Incidence and consequences of falls among elderly people living in the community", Med Clín 2004 Feb 14;122(5):172-6.
  
  
• BALANCE AND GAIT
  Date: 2004
  Coordination: Antoni Salvà
  Funding: Own
  Summary: Epidemiological study of balance and gait based on the epidemiological study of the city of Mataró.
  Publication: Salvà A,Bolívar I, Lucas R, Rojano X. "Utilización del POMA en nuestro medio para la valoración del equilibrio y la marcha en una población de personas mayores residentes en la comunidad" Revista Española de Geriatría y Gerontología. 2005; 40 (supl. 2) 36-44
  
  
• RISK FACTORS OF FALLS IN THE ELDERLY LIVING IN THE COMMUNITY
  Date: 2004
  Coordination: Antoni Salvà
  Funding: Own
  Summary: Analysis of the main risk factors of falling of the elderly living in the community, based on the Mataró study.