From astronauts to the ageing population

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10/09/2024 | Faculty of Health

From astronauts to the ageing population

Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalisation and death in Australia. What started out as a world-leading testing method for balance in athletes developed by UC researchers, is now being used in a collaboration with NASA for astronauts readjusting to life on earth, and has led to work on early detection of falls risk in older people.

Falls have huge health, wellbeing and financial ramifications. In light of an ageing population in the Canberra region, there is an increasingly urgent need for innovative, impactful research and innovation for early detection and mitigation of falls risk. Falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalisation and death in Australia, constituting a staggering 43 per cent of injury-related hospitalisations and accounting for 42 per cent of injury-related fatalities in 2021 (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2023).

The indirect costs of falls include lost productivity and the impact on caregivers. According to a report by Deloitte Access Economics, the total economic cost of falls in Australia in 2019-20 was estimated to be approximately $8.7 billion (equivalent to approximately $150 million in the ACT).

These figures highlight the importance of effective prevention strategies to reduce personal and financial costs associated with falls among older people and other vulnerable populations.

In space

Zero (or micro) gravity can cause many physiological changes for astronauts, including affecting their control over their limbs – and these effects can linger for months after they return to earth. UC researchers developed novel sensorimotor testing approaches which look at how individuals control their motor behaviour and how they use visual information to adjust their behaviour – these measure and help to mitigate some of these physiological changes.

Developed in partnership with the Australian Institute of Sport and Prism Neuro, this world-leading testing method was initially used for athletes and has gone on to be used for astronauts at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

“The tools we’ve developed in our research allow us to assess how good your brain is at picking up information from your lower limbs.”

Lead Researcher, Professor Gordon Waddington

On Earth

The same testing method for astronauts can measure the effects of diminished physical awareness right here on Earth – this can help to prevent falls in older people. UC researchers can accurately predict who is more likely to fall before an actual fall occurs.

This research has led to the development of an early intervention falls prevention model, developed by UC researchers and the Falls Prevention Team at Canberra Health Services. This prediction model will assist individuals (and health practitioners) in understanding their own falls risk.

“This has several implications: we can predict who’s going to be better at sport, and what level they might play at; we can tell the sensitivity to falls risk in the elderly; and, we can assess the sensorimotor disturbances experienced by astronauts, and mitigate them with a wearable device.”

Lead Researcher, Professor Gordon Waddington