None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The aim of this project is to improve the capacity of people living at home to avoid falls. The project will evaluate the effectiveness of an integrated lifestyle apporach to balance and strength exercise (LIFE) and a structured balance and strenght exercise program to reducing falls in people who are at high risk. In the lifestyle approach (LIFE), older people will be taught how to do balance and strenght training and integrate it into their lifestyle so that its is embedded within their daily activity and weekly routines. It is expected that this integrated lifesytle apporach to balance and strenght training will be effective in reducing falls and will be sustainable over a one-year period. This study will also determine for which groups of peoploe LIFE is most effective. The trial is a 3-arm randomized trial that will be conducted with 381 pepople who are 70 years or over, who have experienced at least two falls in the past year or had an injurious fall. the notion of balance trianing is not well understood. A product of this project will be an alternative balance ans strength intervention (LIFE) that offers, in a user friendly and simplified manner, a way of operationalizing the principles of balance and strength training for use by older people within their daily lives.
Interventions
One arm will receive a lifestyle approach to exercise whereby balance and lower limb strenghtening activities are embedded in daily life activity. This will be taught as a weekly home based exercise program over 8 to 10 weeks with a 3 and 6 month follow up. A second arm will investigate a structured balance and strength training home based program. This will be taught with up to 8 weekly visits and a 3 and 6 month follow up visit. The third arm will teach a flexibility program. This will be t
One arm will receive a lifestyle approach to exercise whereby balance and lower limb strenghtening activities are embedded in daily life activity. This will be taught as a weekly home based exercise program over 8 to 10 weeks with a 3 and 6 month follow up. A second arm will investigate a structured balance and strength training home based program. This will be taught with up to 8 weekly visits and a 3 and 6 month follow up visit. The third arm will teach a flexibility program. This will be taught at home over one visit. All three exercise programs will have additional telephone contact.
Sponsors
The Univeristy of Sydney
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Other
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
70 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Had two falls or one injurious fall in the past year.
Exclusion criteria
1. Resident in a nursing home or hostel2. Two or more errors on the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire 3. Do not have conversational english 4. Not able to ambulate independently 5. Use a wheelchair or walking frame outdoors.6. Have an unstable or terminal medical illness which would preclude the planned exercises and is unlikely to resolve 7. Have a neurological condition that results in motor performance difficulties such as Parkinson’s Disease or hemiplegia from stroke.8. On oxygen regularly during waking hours.
Outcome results
None listed