Pilot Study of Effects of Virtual Gait Training on Walking Stability in Older Adults

The objectives of this study are to determine the effectiveness of virtual gait training on walking performance and fear of falling in older adults and to evaluate the feasibility of the virtual gait training. This prospective interventional study plans to include twelve residents of senior assisted living facilities in Basel, Switzerland, aged 65 years or older with no severe physical or cognitive disabilities, and who had fallen at least once in the preceding 12 months. Each participant will complete 14 12-minute virtual gait training sessions within a three-week period. Gait parameters will be quantified with the GAITRite® electronic walkway system, and fear of falling evaluated with the Falls Efficacy Scale-International version. The investigators hypothesize that 14 virtual gait training sessions in older adults over a three week period will both improve gait parameters as measured by a GAITRite® electronic walkway system, and reduce their fear of falling as measured by the Falls Efficacy Scale-International version.