Older adults can be prone to falls, incurring substantial personal and financial costs. One of the many causes of falls is impaired gait or balance, and it has been shown in the literature that inconsistency of gait, and more specifically variability of stride time, is a good predictor of risk of falling.

Patients who have fallen, or who are suspected to be at risk of falling, can be sent to Falls Clinics for the cause of their fall(s) to be investigated. People whose falls are caused by gait or balance impairments can benefit from appropriate exercise classes to improve strength and balance and reduce the risk of a future fall.

Since the vast majority of patients referred to Falls Clinics have already had a fall, it is hypothesised that a simple gait-assessment tool could lead to early, preventative referrals to a Falls Clinic.

One type of gait measurement equipment is the Pegasus system being developed by ETB Ltd. Applications for this system are being explored as part of the TSB’s Assisted Living Innovation Platform. The system comprises small, lightweight Inertial Measurement Units which are attached to the legs with Velcro straps during walking. These battery-operated units record measured data onto memory cards and the data are downloaded after the tests have finished. No cables are required during measurement, making the system highly practical for clinical and other applications and useable in any space and over any terrain. The system can output knee flexion angles, temporal limb phasing and stride duration.

A pilot study has been carried out with five healthy volunteers to assess the practicality of using the system in a GP’s practice, exploring variables such as walking distance. A larger, comparative study of people who have fallen and people who have not fallen will be based on the results.