Challenges & Motivation

Population over 65 years old is presently increasing with respect to the total world population, with particular emphasis in Europe. This implies an increase in the number of detected cases of frailty and falls. Frailty is a multifactorial problem and people with frailty need simultaneous, coordinated and stable health and social care services, adjusted to the principle of continuity of care. Present models of socio-health care generate a social and economic problem that is necessary and urgent to address.

According to the WHO, prevention strategies to be adopted by health systems should be aimed at the identification of risk factors, since one in three older adults suffers at least one fall per year, being one of the main geriatric syndromes and the second world cause of accidental or unintentional death. A fall also implies deterioration in the autonomy of the elderly, decreasing their quality of life and that of their social environment, increasing their frailty.

Despite the benefits and potential of biomechanical technologies to improve assessment of frailty and risk of falling of elderly people, it is undeniable that their applications are still limited to research and academical scopes. Experts have not brought down the technical and methodological barriers yet, being these methodologies mostly unknown by the majority of medical doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals as well as students of medicine, nursery, etc.

Expected Results

Project results will enrich medical students and health professionals on the optimization of assessment processes of frailty and risk of fall of elderly people. This will allow them to acquire the expected knowledge on the use of cutting-edge biomechanical technologies for improving their skills and subsequently the care services they will provide to patients.

Furthermore, promoting a web-based open access online course complemented with the work-based learning and apprenticeship-type training will contribute to achieve a better standardization and qualifications of target users. This will provide new employment opportunities for them.

Finally, the project is expected to have an impact also on indirect target users, namely patients and policy makers. Patients will benefit from a more experienced and well-informed clinical staff, who will be able to deliver a better care, thus improving patient independence and quality of life. Moreover, the knowledge and the use of the suitable biomechnical technologies will reduce inappropriate care and unnecessary costs for the healthcare systems.