A Comparison of the Effect of Education through Video versus Demonstration on Fear of Falling in Nursing Home Residents of Mashhad, Iran

BACKGROUND: Fear of falling is one of the most serious potential health problems. This issue is of high importance in the elderly with serious consequences such as limitations in daily activities, gait imbalance, social isolation, and increased risk of falling. One way to resolve this problem is the use of modern teaching methods such as demonstration and videos. The present study aimed at comparing the effect of education through video versus demonstration on fear of falling in nursing home residents of Mashhad city, Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This quasi-experimental study (with pre-test and post-test) was performed among 66 elderly residents of nursing homes in Mashhad. The participants were randomly divided into two groups of demonstration and video. Then, they received training using the abovementioned methods. The participants' level of fear of falling was measured through Fall Efficacy Scale. RESULTS: After the intervention, mean scores of the fear of falling were 47.50 and 49.84 in demonstration and video groups, respectively. As indicated by the results, after the intervention, participants' fear of falling decreased by 23.7% and 20.7% in demonstration and video groups, respectively. This difference is statistically significant (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Training through video methods reduces the fear of falling in the elderly. Because of the special conditions of the elderly, the video training method may require more consideration due to its lower costs and easier performance.