None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
Motor imagery is the imagining of an action without its physical execution and motor imagery elicits activity in brain regions that are normally activated during actual task performance. Motor imagery has been shown to increase strength, improve mobility and promote motor learning in older adults. The primary aim of this research project is to identify whether the addition of six weeks of motor imagery training to standard physiotherapy care promotes improved outcomes compared to standard physiotherapy care alone in older adults following discharge form rehabilitation. Specifically, the project aims to determine whether the addition of motor imagery training promotes greater improvements in leg strength and mobility in older adults. Participants will undergo baseline testing two to three days prior to discharge from the facility, then again six weeks after discharge from the facility. Testing will involve assessments of leg strength, walking speed, imagined walking, and questionnaires relating to balance confidence and fear of falling. After baseline testing, participants will be randomly assigned to either standard care or standard care plus motor imagery. Upon discharge, participants in both groups will receive standard care as determined the community health care team (independent of research project). Those in the motor imagery group will also undertake 15 minutes of motor imagery training per day, 5 days per week for 6 weeks. The motor imagery training will be guided by audio tapes uploaded onto an electronic device (ie. phone, tablet). The motor imagery tracks guide participants to imagine doing lower limb strengthening activities and walking tasks.
Interventions
Once discharged home, participants in the control group will receive standard in-home care as provided by the subacute facility and/or community rehabilitation therapists. Participants in the experimental group will undertake 15 minutes of guided motor imagery training five times per week for six weeks in addition to the standard in-home care provided by the community rehabilitation therapists. The guided motor imagery will be provided in the form of narrated audio files and are accompanied by b
Once discharged home, participants in the control group will receive standard in-home care as provided by the subacute facility and/or community rehabilitation therapists. Participants in the experimental group will undertake 15 minutes of guided motor imagery training five times per week for six weeks in addition to the standard in-home care provided by the community rehabilitation therapists. The guided motor imagery will be provided in the form of narrated audio files and are accompanied by brief video clips of each task. The audio and video files will be uploaded onto a portable music player/tablet or the mobile phone of each participant and are set out as a schedule. A total of three or four tracks will be scheduled for each session to ensure each session is limited to 15 minutes. All imaging tasks and instructions are designed to get participants to imagine the movements from a first-person perspective and progress in difficulty during the program. The audio tracks will encourage participants to imagine themselves completing several strength and mobility related tasks such as squats and walking up stairs. Participants will be provided with an instruction booklet with a schedule of files to listen to on certain days and a checklist to monitor their progress during the program. The motor imagery intervention was specifically designed for this study and target movements to improve lower limb strength and walking tasks. Adherence will be monitored in two ways: 1) by participants completing a training diary, 2) monitoring track/video views on the electronic device using device analytics.
Sponsors
Brighton Health Campus
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
65 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Adults aged at least 65 years undertaking a minimum of two weeks rehabilitation
Exclusion criteria
a neurological condition likely to impair mobility such as Parkinson’s disease or Multiple sclerosis; a history of stroke or untreated heart disease; impaired cognition (MMSE <24/30); profound hearing loss; or not willing or able to follow procedures specified by the study or instructions of the researcher
Outcome results
None listed