None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The Koori Active and Healthy Ageing Project aims to develop new, effective, culturally appropriate healthy ageing approaches in collaboration with older Aboriginal people and partner communities in regional and urban NSW. A balance-based exercise mobile application developed at NeuRA was the preferred option selected by partnering communities and has been redeveloped to provide a culturally appropriate interface, incorporating cognitive activities to boost the potential benefits for healthy brain ageing and maintaining functional independence. To evaluate the feasibility of this program, a pilot randomised control trial, developed in collaboration with Aboriginal health workers, will be conducted, with key outcomes including improvements in dual task walking speed, physical activity, balance and fall risk, cognitive function, and social and emotional well-being. By implementing a technological platform, this program has the potential to improve access to dementia prevention, enable low-cost individualised program tailoring and facilitate transferability across diverse community settings.
Interventions
Over the course of 16 weeks, the Intervention group will receive the Standing Tall with Our Mob Program, which incorporates tailored and progressive balance exercises (e.g., standing balance, stepping) and cognitive motor training (e.g., working memory or response inhibition exercises in combination with balance or stepping) delivered on a tablet computer using a mobile application (StandingTall-plus, developed at NeuRA and provided as part of the study). The mobile application provides the exer
Over the course of 16 weeks, the Intervention group will receive the Standing Tall with Our Mob Program, which incorporates tailored and progressive balance exercises (e.g., standing balance, stepping) and cognitive motor training (e.g., working memory or response inhibition exercises in combination with balance or stepping) delivered on a tablet computer using a mobile application (StandingTall-plus, developed at NeuRA and provided as part of the study). The mobile application provides the exercise intervention, through instruction videos and animations, and progress is tailored based on participant feedback following each exercise (i.e., rating ease or difficulty on 5-point scale). An exercise physiologist or trained research assistant will demonstrate how to use the program and ensure home-based exercises are performed safely during a one-off initial home visit. Participants will be instructed to build up to 2 hours of unsupervised home-based exercises per week using the app. Progress and adherence will be monitored via in-built weekly balance assessments and app usage data analytics. Additionally, participants will receive weekly fact sheet bulletins with information on healthy brain ageing topics and techniques (i.e., education program), which have been developed specifically for this study population. Throughout the duration of the study, optional 1-hour weekly group sessions will also be held with transport provided. The group sessions will provide social time, technology support as required and healthy ageing education or other group activities if and as per requested by study participants.
Sponsors
Neuroscience Research Australia
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
45 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
• Self-identify as an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person • Aged 45 years or older • Can commit to the 16-week program • Are able to walk household distances without a walking aid
Exclusion criteria
• Any medical condition that would prevent safe engagement with the exercise program • Dementia diagnosis
Outcome results
None listed