Evaluating Technology-Based Fall Prevention Interventions

Not Applicable

Completed

Brief Summary: Approximately one in three older adults fall annually and it is the primary cause of traumatic injury in older adults. While exercise and balance programs have been shown to be effective in reducing fall risk, maintaining behavior change is known to be difficult. Thus additional interventions need to be validated to add to our current armamentarium to reduce falls in older adults. Cognitive training (CT) involves exercises that target specific cognitive tasks, such as memory or processing speed. It has been speculated that routinely performing such tasks may increase functional ability. Recent work has pointed to an increased risk of falls in community-dwelling older adults who have alterations in specific cognitive tasks. Thus the purpose of the proposed study is to demonstrate the feasibility and to explore the effectiveness of a 16 week CT intervention to reduce risk and incidence of fall and improve outcomes up to 1 month post-intervention in a group of community dwelling older adults at risk for fall.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria

65-89 years old
speak and read English
live within 30 miles of the University of Washington
a score of 4 or higher on the Memory Impairment Screen (MIS-T)
regular access to a computer with internet capability (whether at home, friend/family, community center, public library, or other)
a positive response to any of the following three fall related questions: i) Have you had two or more falls in the prior 12 months? ii) Are you responding to the advertisement because of a recent fall? iii) Do you have difficulty with walking or balance?
<53 seconds on 90 second balance test or gait speed <1m/sec.

Exclusion Criteria

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Education	Technology-based Education	-
Intervention	Cognitive Training	-

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Falls	16 weeks	Falls and Injurious Falls as per Fall Calendar

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Disability	8 weeks, 16 weeks, 20 weeks.	Gill Disability Scale
Cognitive Assessment	8 weeks, 16 weeks, 20 weeks	CANTAB Battery (Simple response time, one touch stockings of Cambridge, Stop Signal Task, Spatial Working Memory, Verbal Recognition Memory, Rapid Visual Information Processing)
Gait Assessment	8 weeks, 16 weeks, 20 weeks	Assessment of Gait Parameters using APDM sensor system
Balance Assessment	8 weeks, 16 weeks, 20 weeks	Assessment of Balance using APDM sensor system