Ahmet Begde: Understanding the impact of changes in sensory input... and fall risk in dementia
Channel: Applied Cognition Technology and Interaction Group
Date: 2022-02-01

Ahmet Begde: Understanding the impact of changes in sensory input and sensory integration on walking and fall risk in dementia 

Abstract – Dementia is one of the leading causes of mortality, morbidity and loss of functionality because of affected cognitive, physical and sensorimotor functions (Laver et al., 2016; Todd et al., 2013). Older adults with cognitive impairment are more likely to fall than their peers without cognitive impairment (Fernando et al., 2018). Fall risk is almost doubled in dementia because of impaired vision, gait and balance, which often leads to long-term hospitalisation, delirium and mortality and worsens dementia outcomes (Härlein et al., 2009; Kearney et al., 2013). There are some well-established risk factors for cognitively impaired people, such as fall history, environmental hazards, motor and visual impairments (Fernando et al., 2018). However, since dementia-related gait disorders are due to disturbances of the highest sensorimotor systems (Martin and O’Neill, 2004), understanding the change in sensory input and sensory integration in dementia is very important in reducing the risk of falls, which can reduce high healthcare costs.