Qualitative study uncovers place-bound coping routines for fear of falling in older adults, suggesting community-driven strategies protect mobility and dignity.
Key Points
To examine how older Nigerian adults appraise and cope with the fear of falling, and to explore how local environmental context and personality influence coping routines and support preferences.
Qualitative study using an interpretive description framework and reflexive thematic analysis.
Conducted qualitative interviews with 24 community-dwelling adults aged 60–75 years in Abuja and Jos, North Central Nigeria.
Fear of falling manifested as situational, place-bound appraisals at physical thresholds (such as stairs and wet floors) rather than generalized anxiety.
Participants maintained activity by creating practical behavioral routines, reframing fear as caution, drawing on spiritual faith, and selecting discreet forms of assistance to preserve dignity.
Safety was actively co-produced alongside family, peers, clinicians, and transport workers, with personality traits influencing preferences for how support was delivered.