A – 13 Fall Risk and Cognitive Performance in Older Adults With and Without Cognitive Impairment

Objective This study explored fall risk and cognitive performance in older adults evaluated at an outpatient clinic in Central Florida. Method Measures included the Morse Fall Scale, Trail Making Test (TMT) Parts A and B, and Stroop Color and Word Test. Patients (N=132) were primarily Caucasian (87.1%), non-Hispanic (83.3%), and female (57.6%), with primary diagnoses of normal cognition (21.1%), mild cognitive impairment (MCI; 32.3%), and dementia (42.4%). Results Patients with no fall risk scored higher on TMT-A (M=9.43, SD=3.68) than any-risk patients (M=8.11, SD=3.73), t(130)=2.03, p=.02, 95% CI [0.04, 2.61], and higher on Stroop Color-Word (M=8.91, SD=3.61 vs. M=6.82, SD=2.96), t(106)=3.30, p < .001, 95% CI [0.84, 3.35]. TMT-B and Stroop Color Naming did not significantly differ across fall risk. Among dementia patients, no fall risk individuals outperformed any fall risk on TMT-A (M=8.08, SD=3.83 vs. M=5.81, SD=3.26), t(54)=2.39, p=.01, 95% CI [0.37, 4.17]; Stroop Word Reading (M=8.65, SD=3.49 vs. M=6.93, SD=2.68), t(51)=2.03, p=.02, 95% CI [0.02, 3.42]; and Stroop Color-Word (M=7.95, SD=4.08 vs. M=5.85, SD=2.35), t(28.21)=2.06, p=.02, 95% CI [0.01, 4.19]. Conclusion Findings suggest that slower visuomotor and visual processing speed is associated with greater fall risk, particularly in dementia.