![]() They are usually laboratory-based and the systems are very costly. ![]() Non-wearable gait analysis methods usually involve the use of motion capture cameras or floor sensors. For these reasons, wearable methods are not applicable for long-term monitoring purposes. In addition, the sensors may obstruct natural movement and affect the gait. The wearable methods require the person to wear sensors in specific locations on their body, which can be incorrectly applied or forgotten completely, especially by the elderly. These technologies can be broadly divided into wearable and non-wearable methods. Rapid progress in new technologies has given rise to devices and techniques that allow for an objective measurement of different gait parameters, resulting in a more efficient measurement and providing specialists with a large amount of reliable information on patients’ gaits. Objective, quantitative, and continuous measurements and assessments of gaits are needed in order to detect these clinically relevant gait changes, enabling the timely introduction of individually tailored interventions. However, the gait changes that appear at the early development stage of neurodegenerative diseases or are associated with fall risk are usually too subtle and discrete to be detected by clinical observation alone. Several studies have identified gait abnormalities as predictors of fall risk. The rapid detection of fall incidents can reduce the mortality rate and raise the chance of surviving the event, but predicting the fall risk and preventing fall occurrence is of the uttermost importance. Gait impairments are also associated with fall incidents, which are considered to be a major risk for the elderly living independently, as falls often result in serious physical and psychological consequences, or even death. Short shuffling steps with difficulty lifting the feet off the ground were reported to be associated with an increased risk of developing dementia. A person in the primary phase of Parkinson’s tends to make small and shuffled steps and may also experience difficulties in performing key walking events, such as starting, stopping, and turning. For example, gait patterns tend to differ from their normal behavior at the early onset of some neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Early motor dysfunction co-exists with or even precedes the onset of cognitive decline in older adults. It has long been known that there is a direct relationship between cognitive impairment severity and increased gait abnormalities. The normal aging process entails declines in both cognitive and physical functions that largely affect the quality of life for the elderly. The absolute number of people aged 60 years and over is expected to increase from 605 million to 2 billion over the same period. According to WHO, the proportion of the world’s population over 60 years will double from approximately 11% to 22% between 20. Improvements in public health have led to a significant increase in life expectancy, with the consequence of an increasingly aging population.
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