A new study states that elder people who fear falling are actually prone to future falls. And this is irrespective of their actual physiological risk.

Kim Delbaere, PhD, from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, and colleagues said, "Both falls and fear of falls can substantially reduce quality of life and independence and so contribute to the placement of an elderly person into institutionalized care."

It was added that in falls prevention programmes including the complex nature of psychological risk factors for falling and the limited background information hampered the programme.

Elderly lot tends to limit participation in social and physical activities due to excessive fear of falling and this makes them physically deconditioned, depresses them socially. There was a contrast stated by experts that if seniors have very low fear of falling then they tend to take risks that are beyond their true ability to cope.

The authors conducted this study to figure out the cause of irrational fear which is too little or too much and also to study its effect on the risk for future falls.