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Angel Lee

Is there a role for gait aids to improve stability and reduce falls risk for older people with dementia?

Portrait of Dr Angel Lee
  • Award

    Dementia Australia Research Foundation Project Grant

  • Status

    Completed

  • Start Date

    1 March 2020

About the project

Balance impairment and falls are common among people living with dementia. Walking aids are frequently used to improve stability and reduce risk of falls for older people. However, there is often confusion about walking aid use by older people living with dementia, due to concerns about safety and their ability to learn this new skill. 

Our findings indicate that gait aid use is a commonly advocated practice by community care staff for people living with dementia who appeared unsteady and had a gait aid. Around 40% reported they would encourage them to walk with it. Among the informal carers who reported gait aid use by people with dementia, over 90% believed that the gait aid was beneficial in improving their steadiness. Importantly, over 70% responded that the gait aid was not used by the person they provided care for when any falls occurred in the last year. In addition, over 60% carers reported the person they provided care for started using gait aids after they were diagnosed with dementia.

Our surveys highlight the need for research to better understand safe and effective use of gait aids in people living with dementia, and to develop clear guidelines for their prescription and use in people with dementia, that are tailored for their needs, including consideration of their physical ability (including balance), cognitive status and environmental factors that may impact gait aid use.

The feasibility study will provide valuable learnings to supplement the survey and systematic review findings about which patients with dementia may or may not benefit from gait aid training and use. This may assist the future development of a decision aid tool for health professionals (physiotherapists, occupational therapists and nurses) to improve mobility care and practice for people with dementia.

Publications and presentations resulting from award

  • Lee D-CA, Burton E, Meyer C, Hunter SW, Suttanon P, Hill KD. Gait aid use for people with and without dementia: A comparison of practice between health and non-health professionals among Australian community care staff. Health & Social Care in the Community. 2022; 30(5), e1721-e1733. doi:10.1111/hsc.1360
  • Lee D-CA, Meyer C, Burton E, et al. A survey of nurses, physiotherapists and occupational therapists in mobility care and gait aid use for hospital patients with dementia. Geriatric nursing (New York, NY). 2022;44:221-228. doi:10.1016/j.gerinurse.2022.02.017
  • Lee D-CA, Dissanayaka T, Burton E, et al. Effectiveness of gait aid prescription for improving spatiotemporal gait parameters and associated outcomes in community-dwelling older people: a systematic review. Disability and Rehabilitation. 2021:1-16. doi:10.1080/09638288.2021.1958930

Where are they now?

At the time of award, Dr Lee was working in the School of Primary and Allied Health Care at Monash University. 

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Last updated
5 December 2023