%A Caitlin Schaefer
%T Dyadic person living with dementia/caregiver falls prevention interventions: a literature synthesis
%X People living with dementia experience falls at a disproportionate rate than age-matched adults due to several factors: gait dysfunction, balance disorders, and modifiable external hazards. Currently, falls prevention interventions conducted in this population have had inconclusive results because falls prevention interventions tailored for cognitively normal adults do not translate to those living with dementia, thus leaving a gap in knowledge in this field of research. 
Caregivers of people living with dementia may provide a unique aspect to falls prevention interventions as they are in a position to act as co-therapists throughout the course of an intervention. By utilizing caregivers as co-therapists in a dyadic intervention, interventionists are able to rely on them to aid the person living with dementia in the execution of the intervention and to confirm that the person living with dementia is following protocol, which has been shown to be vital in program success in past interventions.
In addition to exploring the relationship between caregiver involvement and outcomes of falls prevention interventions in the dementia population, this literature synthesis will also evaluate the effectiveness of a falls prevention program among people with dementia according to whether people live alone or with family as a proxy for caregiver involvement in falls prevention that has been conducted in Pennsylvania recently. 
Dyadic falls prevention in the dementia population is an area of research that requires further exploration. This area of research is significant to public health because public health?s ability to impact society by decreasing hospitalizations and delaying institutionalizations by providing additional years of improved quality of life in the dementia population can save billions of dollars in healthcare costs.
%D 2017
%K caregiver, dementia, falls prevention, dyadic
%I University of Pittsburgh
%L pittir30560