Strategies to prevent falls and fall-related injuries: From fundamental evidence to real-world implementation

Cluster Member Dr. Vicki Komisar presented at Tapestry (Westbrook Village) on “Strategies to prevent falls and fall-related injuries: From fundamental evidence to real-world implementation”. Her speech was focused on three areas: why we should study fall-related injuries, technology designed for fall prevention such as handrails and walkways and current technology for fall-related injury prevention e.g. hip and head protectors. Furthermore, she mentioned some important factors that affect the responses to balance loss such as avoidance, speed, accuracy and effectiveness. Dr. Komisar discussed strategies that can be used to avoid falls and fall-related injuries, and help adults of all ages to live as safely, independently and healthily for as long as possible. The talk concluded with a fruitful question and answer session on topics such as outside vs inside stairs, using both hands on the handrail, winding staircases and more.

Speaker Bio:

Dr. Vicki Komisar is a Post-Doctoral Fellow with the Injury Prevention and Mobility Laboratory at Simon Fraser University, working with Dr. Stephen Robinovitch (Professor and Workpackage 5.2 co-lead). She completed her PhD at the University of Toronto and Toronto Rehab-UHN, where she worked with Dr. Alison Novak (Scientist, Toronto Rehab-UHN) and Dr. Brian Maki (Senior Scientist, Toronto Rehab-UHN). Her research and development program focuses broadly on preventing injuries due to falls, especially in older adults.