Depression: a modifiable factor in fearful older fallers transitioning to frailty?

Objective Fear of falling is one of the most common fears among community‐dwelling older people and is as serious a health problem as falls themselves. Understanding fear of falling in fallers transitioning to frailty may help us identify effective strategies to reduce it in this already vulnerable group of older people. Our aim was to evaluate the psychological factors associated with fear of falling in a group of fallers transitioning to frailty when compared with robust or non‐frail fallers. Methods Cross‐sectional design where 301 fallers underwent assessment at the Technology Research for Independent Living Clinic in Dublin (http://www.trilcentre.org/) is seen. Fear of falling was measured using the Modified Falls Efficacy Scale, and frailty was measured using the Biological Syndrome Model. Psychological measures included assessment of anxiety, depression, loneliness, personality factors and cognition. Results Frailer fallers had increased fear of falling when compared with robust fallers (p