Pilot Study of Virtual Gait Training in Older Adults

University Hospital Basel

Status: Completed

Conditions: Frail Elderly

Treatments: Behavioral: Virtual Gait Training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01607736

JBMP-VGTinOA-pilot

EK:113/11 (Other Grant/Funding Number)

Details and patient eligibility

About

Older individuals suffer from falls and fear of falling. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a novel virtual gait training on walking performance and fear of falling in older adults, and to evaluate the feasibility of the virtual gait training program. The investigators hypothesize that virtual gait training 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.

Full description

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.

Enrollment: 12 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• older than 65 years of age
• fall within last 6 months

Exclusion criteria

• cognitive deficits
• physical disability

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Crossover Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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12 participants in 2 patient groups

Inactive Comparator

No Intervention group

Virtual Gait Training

Experimental group

Treatment:

Behavioral: Virtual Gait Training