How and why does our balance age?
The IDIAPJGol and the ICS promote a pioneering research in the state to know how the aging process of the balance system is and the biological markers that influence it. The CAP Maresme offers tests to detect early the risk of falls to people between 68 and 71 years old and help them prevent them.
Falls can cause injuries that, especially in the case of the elderly, have important effects on their autonomy and quality of life. Sometimes they can also have serious consequences for your health.
Working for health promotion and disease prevention is one of the backbones of Primary Care. And precisely the prevention of falls is one of the areas in which pedagogy is carried out when attending to elderly people at CAP consultations.
In this regard, the Jordi Gol Primary Care Research Institute (IDIAPJGol) and the Northern Metropolitan Primary Care of the Catalan Health Institute (ICS) are promoting a study in which the participants will be able to learn about early form if they are more at risk of falling. This is pioneering research in Spain to study the aging process of the balance system in the elderly and to look for other biological markers of this process.
What is it about?
The EPIBAS study focuses on early detection of balance disorders in people aged between 68 and 71 in Mataró.
The participating person is invited to three visits. In the first, questionnaires, tests and tests are done to establish your physical condition, autonomy and lifestyle. Among others, balance on a platform (posturograph), walking speed or stability is recorded.
Six months later, you are given the results, once assessed case by case. When a risk of falling is identified, the person receives exercise tables adapted to their possibilities to do at home and to improve the physical condition that can cause a fall.
After a year and a half, a third visit is used by the research team to analyze the evolution of the people who, initially, presented a balance disorder, to one degree or another, and if any changes are registered in this regard.
Apart from face-to-face visits, follow-up calls are made every two months to find out if falls have occurred and to study the reason in more depth.
All this information is what the team finally cross-checks to be able to determine the hypothesis of the study in relation to this early detection of the risk of falls in people between 68 and 71 years old.
With the results of these tests, the participants will know what their status is in this regard and will be able to act to reduce this risk. In addition, many of these results are recorded in La Meva Salut and, in the event that it is determined to be relevant for the monitoring of the health of the participating person, the reference health team has access to consult them.
Participate
Do you want to be part of the study and have a personalized assessment on the risk of suffering falls? Contact through the following channels:
- Call 93 741 53 38
- SMS message or WhatsApp to 634 69 34 35
- Email to the address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The study is coordinated by the GRIDAES research group, from the North Metropolitan Research Support Unit of the IDIAPJGol. The Universidade da Coruña, the Aging Research Center Karolinska Institute, the Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute Foundation and the Mataró TecnoCampus are collaborating on the project, and it has funding from the European FEDER funds and the Ministry of economy, industry and competitiveness of Spain.
