About this trial
The goal of this clinical trial is to examine the effects of a novel task-specific balance training for reducing environmental falls in community ambulatory older adults who are at-risk of falling. The main questions it aims to answer are:
* Does task-specific balance training improve the ability to prevent falling when unexpected perturbations such as slips and trips occur, and/or improve balance control during self-initiated movements? * Does task-specific balance training reduce real-life falls for 18 months after training?
Researchers will compare task-specific balance training with conventional balance training and treadmill perturbation-based training to examine how this novel intervention compares to established interventions for improving balance.
Participants who participate in the study will be asked to do the following:
* Complete a pre-training assessment of their balance control, and then be randomized to one of three training groups: 1) task-specific balance training, 2) treadmill perturbation-based training, and 3) conventional balance training * Complete their assigned training protocol for 8 weeks (2x per week for a total of 16 sessions) * Complete 2 post-training assessments of their balance control, the first being completed immediately after the training is completed, and the second being completed 18 months after the training is completed * Wear a physical activity monitor for 18 months after completing the intervention to monitor their real life falls.
Eligibility criteria
Qualifiers
60 to 90 years of age to include community dwelling older adults
Understand English to ensure ability to safely complete study protocols
Able to walk independently for 1 block and 10 meters without an assistive device to ensure ability to complete exercises and reactive balance assessments
'At-risk' adults: Participants who report experience of at least 1 fall in the past 12 months or participants who are categorized as at high fall- risk using our fall risk prediction model which can predict the risk of both slip and trip related falls.
Disqualifiers
Major surgery less than 6 months ago to avoid complications due to training
Hospitalization less than 3 months ago to avoid complications due to training
Taking any sedative drugs to avoid interference with training
Acute or uncontrolled neurological or cardiopulmonary or musculoskeletal or cancer diagnosis to avoid complications due to training
Trial design
Treatments tested in this trial
- Task-Specific Balance Training
- Treadmill Perturbation Training
- Conventional Balance Training
Treatment groups
Sponsors and collaborators
University of Illinois at Chicago
Lead sponsor
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Collaborator