THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN THE MODIFIED SHORT PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE BATTERY AND FALLS AMONG ELDERLY WOMEN IN A NURSING HOME

The main concern of this research is the association of the modified SPPB with female people who lived in a narrower environment and had different fall histories and health statuses. The specific aim was to investigate whether the M-SPPB score could effectively distinguish between fallers and non-fallers among female older adults in a nursing home. 

This study was measured on 20 voluntary ladies who lived in Szent Lujza Szeretetotthon Clinic, Budapest, Hungary, with a difference in age, falling history, and health conditions in 2022-2023. The study looked into patients' ability to perform three M-SPPB subtests, including maintaining balance, performing five times sit-to-stands from a chair, and walking speed over a distance of about 4 meters, which could then be compared to their fall history in the previous year.  

1) The measurement focused on female older adults aged 63–94 years, with the number of fallers being higher and younger than the number of non-fallers. 2) The total score of the M-SPPB was low at 3.05 ± 0.83. There were differences in the total scores of the fallers and non-fallers, with 2.91 ± 0.83 and 3.22 ± 0.83, but it was not a significant difference (p = 0.878). 3) The balance and chair stand tests also showed insignificant differences; only the gait speed test could not discriminate between the two groups with a score of 1 point. 

The modified SPPB could not distinguish effectively between fallers and non-fallers among older adults who were inpatients. There are several recommendations for future research that are made: It could 1) be conducted in other settings with a larger number of participants; 2) broaden the subjects participating in the study and then compare the falling rates between the two genders; 3) include variables related to impaired hearing, vision, and cognitive status that may have a relationship with a falling history. 

The project’s findings will improve physiotherapy practice by integrating the modified SPPB for precise fall risk assessments, enabling targeted interventions to enhance balance and mobility in older adults.