: Background and Significance Each year 30% of older adults residing in the community experience a fall. Due to difficulties capturing an accurate assessment of falls in community-dwelling older adults, some estimate that up to 60% of older adults in this population experience a fall each year. Risk factors for falls include impairments in gait, balance, and cognitive factors including memory and attention. Cognitive training is emerging as a promising strategy for maintaining cognitive health in old age. This pilot study builds on the literature by testing the ability of exposure to cognitive training on executive function tasks over 10-weeks to improve outcomes related to gait and balance in a population of older adults. Design and Methods One-hundred older adults will be recruited and randomly assigned to a cognitive training intervention or standard care arm. All participants will complete measures of executive functions, gait, and balance at baseline, 10-weeks, and 20-weeks. Data will be analyzed using a mixed effects repeated measures model. Summary Executive function performance is an indicator of fall-related mobility factors including gait and balance. When executive function is impaired noticeable declines in motor skills soon follow. A promising approach to fall prevention may be to train executive function with the intention that this will lead to improvements in balance and gait. Impact of cognitive training on balance/gait in older adults Smith-Ray, Renae Project Narrative / Public Health Statement Each year 30% of older adults residing in the community experience a fall. This incidence rate rises to 50% when limited to adults age 80 and over (Gillespie et al, 2001;Lindquist, Timpka, &Schelp, 2001). Clearly, there is a need to improve existing approaches to reducing falls and fall-related injuries in older adults. The next step is not only the development of new techniques to reduce fall-related risk factors, but the development of interventions that use different, and potentially more efficient, delivery mechanisms than those currently available. Cognitive processing plays an important role in balance and gait. The proposed study will test the impact of cognitive training in order to improve balance and gait and thereby reduce the incidence of falls in older adults.
Impact of cognitive training on balance/gait in older adults Smith-Ray, Renae Project Narrative / Public Health Statement Each year 30% of older adults residing in the community experience a fall. This incidence rate rises to 50% when limited to adults age 80 and over (Gillespie et al, 2001; Lindquist, Timpka, &Schelp, 2001). Clearly, there is a need to improve existing approaches to reducing falls and fall-related injuries in older adults. The next step is not only the development of new techniques to reduce fall-related risk factors, but the development of interventions that use different, and potentially more efficient, delivery mechanisms than those currently available. Cognitive processing plays an important role in balance and gait. The proposed study will test the impact of cognitive training in order to improve balance and gait and thereby reduce the incidence of falls in older adults.
| Smith-Ray, Renae L; Hughes, Susan L; Prohaska, Thomas R et al. (2015) Impact of Cognitive Training on Balance and Gait in Older Adults. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 70:357-66 |
