Promoting Healthy Aging: Physical Activity, Home Adaptations in Post-Fall Malaysian Elderly

The study aims to explore the changes to physical activities and home adaptations after fall among older adults in Malaysia. Housing in Malaysia is often not designed with the needs and safety of the elderly in mind. However, falls affect several Malaysians aged 60 years and above, and most falls occur in and around individuals’ homes. This paper examines changes to physical activities and the physical home environment post-falls. In addition, the paper will also discuss the attitude toward home modifications. Home-visit interviews were conducted on 10 University of Malaya Medical Center (UMMC) patients who sustained at least one injurious fall or more at their respective houses in the past 6 months. In addition to in-depth interviews, observations were made, including sketching a floor plan and recording images, to understand the physical activities and movement patterns of the participants after falls. The study found limited physical activities due to Fear-of-Falling (FOF) after they returned to the house. The movement pattern shows that the participants spend most of their time in the living room and bedroom after the fall. There was a low level of interest in home modifications after the patients had returned to their homes due to several reasons.