Feasibility Aquatic Physical Exercise to Reduce Falls in Institutionalized Elderly (PrePhysFalls)

University Ramon Llull

Status: Completed

Conditions: Postural Balance; Cognitive Impairment; Strength; Elderly; Age Problems

Treatments: Other: Exercise

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03019211

PrePhysFalls

Details and patient eligibility

About

This is a pilot randomized control trial with single blinding of the assessor that will be conducted in two nursing homes residence to evaluate the applicability of a physical exercise program performed in an aquatic environment compared with the same realization but land-based to reduce falls in the institutionalized old people. The secondary objectives are to study the applicability of the intervention in improving balance, function, gait mobility, muscle strength of the lower limbs and the perception of the intervention.

Full description

The participants will be randomized and divided into the hydrotherapy group or the control group. Each participant will attend a total of 24 physical exercise sessions of 50 minutes of duration. The study outcomes will be measured before the intervention and in 3 posterior phases to evaluate its effects in the short, medium and long terms.

Enrollment: 18 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Be institutionalized in a care center
• Participate voluntarily and sign the informed consent
• Have a punctuation of 2 or more in The Downton Fall Risk Index

Exclusion criteria

• Suffer from a condition that can be affected or hinder exercise
• Acute disease unresolved in 10 days
• Not controlled hypertension
• Contagious skin disorder
• Urinary or faecal incontinence

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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18 participants in 2 patient groups

Hydrotherapy

Experimental group

Description:

Exercise performed in an aquatic environment. The participants will perform static/dynamic exercises (balance and resistance training) in an aquatic environment. Training volume and intensity we will increase systematically over 12 weeks.

Treatment:

Other: Exercise

Control

Active Comparator group

Description:

The participants will perform exercises (balance and resistance training) like hydrotherapy group but out of the aquatic environment, during a 12 weeks training period (3sessions/week). Training volume and intensity we will increase systematically over 12 weeks.

Treatment:

Other: Exercise