We are pleased to congratulate Dr. Uma Kelekar on her contribution to a newly published article in the Journal of Aging and Health, titled “Perceived Neighborhood Environments and Falls Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults in the United States: The Moderating Role of Functional Limitations.”
Dr. Kelekar collaborated with Jeein Law, MS, MPP, and Debasree Das Gupta, PhD, to examine how neighborhood environments influence fall risk among community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older in the United States. Grounded in environmental gerontology theories, the study explores whether functional limitations moderate the relationship between neighborhood social cohesion, physical disorder, and subsequent falls.
Their findings reveal that higher neighborhood social cohesion and greater physical disorder were both associated with increased odds of falls overall. However, these relationships varied by level of functional limitation. Among older adults with mild limitations, the associations were weakened, while among those with severe limitations, higher physical disorder was unexpectedly linked to lower odds of falls. The authors suggest this may reflect self-restriction behaviors, such as reduced outdoor mobility.
The study underscores the importance of addressing both environmental and individual factors in fall prevention strategies. It also highlights the need for interventions such as supervised indoor exercise programs and improved access to transportation for older adults with functional limitations.
