Elderly
Conditions
Keywords
Control posture, Gait, Virtual Reality, Elderly
Brief summary
The objective of this work was to compare the effects of two balance training programs, one Nintendo Wii Fit-based and the other traditionally-based without the use of a gaming system, on the (1) balance, (2) gait, (3) functionality and (4) cognition ability in older adults. It is a prospective, single blinded, randomized clinical trial performed at Center of Research of the courses of Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy of São Paulo University. Thirty-two older adults are randomly in control and experimental group, 16 each one. The study includes only participants scoring at least 24 in the Mini-Mental State Examination to rule out effects of dementia; without the presence of depression, according to the Geriatric Depression Scale of Yesaváge - version 15 (GDS-15 ≤ 5) and scores on the Berg Balance Scale (EBB ≥ 41).
Detailed description
The objective of this work is to compare the effects of two balance training programs, one Nintendo Wii Fit-based and the other traditionally-based without the use of a gaming system, on balance, gait, functionality and cognition ability in older adults. It is a prospective, single blinded, randomized clinical trial performed at Center of Research of the courses of Speech Therapy, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy of São Paulo University. Thirty-two older adults are randomly in control and experimental group, 16 each one. Both groups performed 14 training sessions, twice a week, for seven weeks. Each session is composed of a 30 minute-global-exercise series including stretching, muscle strength and axial mobility exercises. After this, both groups performed more 30 minutes of balance training: the control group performed balance exercises without external cues, visual or auditory feedbacks or cognitive stimulations; the experimental group performed the balance training with 10 Wii Fit games which stimulated motor and cognitive functions. The main outcome measures are: (1) Mini-BESTest of Dynamic Balance Evaluation; (2) Dynamic Gait Index (DGI); (3) Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA); and (4) Falls Efficacy Scale - International (FES-I).
Interventions
DEVICEVirtual Reality Training
The participants of the study trained 10 balance games during 14 sessions
OTHERPhysical Therapy
Patients of the control group was trained with balance exercises.
Sponsors
Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel
University of Sao Paulo General Hospital
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
60 Years to 85 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age 60 to 85 years. * Absence of other neurological disorders or co-morbidities that may affect gait; * Absence of dementia (score above 24 on the Mini Mental State Examination - MMSE); * Absence of depression (score above 5 on the Geriatric Depression Scale of Yesaváge - version 15); * Score on the Berg Balance Scale above 41; * Vision and hearing adequate or corrected to normal; * Ability to walk independently;
Exclusion criteria
* Biomechanical alterations (other pathologies) that could compromise the completion of training; * Presence of any neurological, auditory or visual deficit that could compromise distracting task performance during balance and gait training;
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mini-BESTest of Dynamic Balance Evaluation - Balance Evaluation Systems Test | Up to 3 months | The Mini-BESTest test is a 14-item test that focuses on dynamic balance, specifically anticipatory transitions, postural responses, sensory orientation and dynamic gait. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic Gait Index | Up to 3 months | The scale assesses the ability to adapt the gait during motor tasks with different demands. |
| Montreal Cognitive Assessment | Up to 3 months | This scale was developed in order to detect mild degrees of cognitive impairment. The instrument assesses different cognitive domains such as attention and concentration, executive functions, memory, language, visuo-constructive skills, calculations, and orientation. |
| Falls Efficacy Scale - International | Up to 3 months | The Falls Efficacy Scale-International (FES-I)measures the level of concern about falling during social and physical activities inside and outside the home whether or not the person actually does the activity. |
Countries
Brazil
Outcome results
None listed