2011 Volume 34 Issue 5 Pages 5_115-5_122
The aim of this study was to describe subjective phenomena related to falls of elderly persons with dementia in a longterm care facility. The participants were two elderly women. The research was an observational study, but some objective data, such as degree of illumination and height of chair, were measured to gain additional explanations for subjective phenomena. Analyses were carried out based on an observational study of behavior, with advice from a mobility expert. Case A showed unstable sidesteps, indicating that the center of gravity was lateral to the body. Case B, who was wandering, mistook dining tables for logs in a dark hall where the degree of lux was zero to one. She might have experienced an optical illusion. The results of the study indicate that knowledge of not only human mobility as a science but also a perspective based on individual experience is required in order to describe subjective phenomena related to falls.
