A Balancing Act: Age-related changes in sensorimotor function and balance control

The Edwin S.H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging and Providence Health Care and the Dialogue on Aging Public Presentation Series are  hosting a talk entitled  'A Balancing Act: Age-related changes in sensorimotor function and balance control'. The speaker is Dr. Mark Carpenter, Professor and Co-Director pro tem, School of Kinesiology, UBC. His talk will discuss how balance changes as we age and how psychological factors can play a role in our movement control and balance. 

Talk summary: Falls pose a significant health risk to older adults; falls are the leading cause of accidental death and the number one cause of hospitalization due to unintentional injury in older adults. Maintenance of balance under static (quiet standing) and dynamic (reactive) balance conditions relies heavily upon the integration of multiple sources of sensory information (visual, vestibular and proprioceptive), to trigger and modulate balance responses that are task and context dependent.

This presentation will bring to light new evidence developed using novel techniques to measure balance-relevant changes in sensorimotor function in young and older adults, and discuss how these age-related changes in sensorimotor control may be associated with changes in static and dynamic balance performance.

Special consideration will be given to understanding how psychological factors, such as fear and anxiety, alters sensorimotor control and balance function, and further increases fall risk in older adults. The effectiveness of current balance interventions and fall prevention strategies will be discussed, as well as future directions for aging and balance research. 

To learn more about this event and to register, please visit the event webpage.

Recordings of past seminars in the Dialog on Aging series are available online.