Geriatrics related conditions Nervous System Diseases Other extrapyramidal and movement disorders
Conditions
Interventions
1. Physical Exercise Program:
All participants undergo a regimen of twice weekly progressive resistance training of the core and lower extremities muscle groups in combination with progressive postura
Sponsors
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (Switzerland)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: 1. Residential status 2. Age > 65 years 3. Signed informed consent statement 4. Ability to walk 6m and stand upright for at least 5 minutes
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: 1. Severe cognitive impairment (Mini-Mental State Examination < 22 points) 2. Rapidly progressive or terminal illness, acute illness or unstable chronic illness 3. Impaired vision that prevented them to watch a wall screen projection
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Foot Placement Accuracy We will apply a modified stepping task described by Chapman and Hollands in 2007. Participants will walk at a self-selected pace along a 10 m path and will encounter one of the three obstacle conditions. The first condition requires the participants to place their right foot into ?Target 1?. On the second condition participants are required to place their right foot into ?Target 1? and their left foot into ?Target 2?. The third condition requires the participants to place the right foot into ?Target 1?, then step over the obstacle and place the left foot into ?Target 2?. The position of the targets and the obstacle remain the same for each trial. The targets are rectangular, made of foam rubber and all of equal dimensions. They comprise a raised border (4cm x 4cm) containing a target area of about (20 cm x 42 cm). The height of the soft foam obstacle will be 17 cm, the horizontal width about 67 cm and the depth 1 cm. The height of the obstacle corresponds to the standard height for a step of a staircase (Verordnung über die Verhütung von Unfällen und Berufskrankheiten: Wegleitung durch die Arbeitssicherheit; www.ekas.admin.ch). The obstacle will be supported from the anterior side allowing it to fall forwards with respect to the participant should they make contact with it. Prior to the start participants will be instructed to close their eyes in order to not allow them to direct their attention to the targets prior to the start of the trial. A session consists in performing 30 trials: 10 trials for each condition. Each combination of target positions will be randomized within each session. Within each condition, the target(s) will appear in two possible positions separated by 8 cm (medio-laterally). On one side of the pathway a video camera for each target will be positioned to record the step accuracy of the participants. Step accuracy will be defined as antero-posterior foot placement accuracy (change of constant error) in millimeters. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| 1. Gait analysis Subjects are tested under a single-task condition (preferred walking & fast walking) and under a dual-task condition, i.e., preferred and fast walking whilst counting backwards in sevens. The temporal-spatial parameters recorded are: velocity (cm/s), cadence (steps/min), stride time (s), step time (s), and step length (cm). Thereafter the participants are asked to perform the same walking task while counting. 2. Fear of Falling The Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I) questionnaire is used as a measure of ?concern? about falling to determine the transfer effects of training to activities of daily living. This scale assesses both easy and difficult physical activities and social activities with a scale of: 1 = not at all concerned, 2 = somewhat concerned, 3 = fairly concerned, 4 = very concerned. 3. Vision The Physiological Profile Assessment (PPA) is a valid and reliable tool for assessing falls risk and for evaluating the effectiveness of interventions and is suitable for use in a range of physical therapy and health care settings. For this study we will use three measures of visual function: the "Melbourne Edge Test", the dual contrast visual acuity chart, and the device for measuring depth perception. | — |
Countries
Switzerland
Outcome results
None listed