The Senior Step Study How Elderly Help Themselves Maximally Forward (SSS)

Radboud University Medical Center

Status

Completed

Conditions

Self-management for Mobility Improvement in the Elderly

Treatments

Behavioral: Mobility feedback device with use of instruction book

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other

Identifiers

NCT01792180

Nr. 60-61900-98-449

Details and patient eligibility

About

The Senior Step Study investigates whether feedback given by a mobility feedback device in combination with an instruction book containing every day exercises, motivates elderly to exercise more. By exercising more participants take charge of their own mobility and fall risk. Senior Step Study studies whether this 'exercising more' positively affects their mobility, fall risk, mental wellbeing, self-management, and quality of life.

Full description

Falling is an important problem among community-dwelling elderly. The number of falls and concomitant health costs will rise within an aging population. Fall related injuries and fear of falling decrease mobility and have a negative impact on social functioning, mood, wellbeing and autonomy. Research from a medical perspective has concentrated on case finding and fall prevention. Currently, insufficient possibilities are available for elderly and caregiver to asses and improve their own mobility and fall risk. The Senior Step Study aims to provide a tool for elderly to improve their self-management abilities in monitoring and improving mobility and fall risk.

The researchers expect that elderly in the intervention group will be more aware of their own mobility and fall risk, and will therefore experience more autonomy, better mental wellbeing, and better quality of life. We expect this to reflect in less demands made on healthcare by the elderly.

150 elderly living at home, in a home for the elderly, and elderly who regularly attend activities in a community home, are asked to participate in the study. During the six months of the study, subjects will receive weekly telephone calls from the computerized falls telephone. The intervention group will measure their normal gait speed measured over 4 meters, using the mobility feedback device once a week, and use the feedback given by this mobility feedback device to perform exercises from the instruction book. Activity diaries allow them to register the type and duration of the exercises.

Enrollment

150 patients

Sex

All

Ages

70+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Subjects of 70 years and over
Subjects who experienced at least 1 fall in the previous 12 months
Subjects who can walk independently or with a walking aid
Informed consent on the basis of Dutch legislation (WMO)
During the study subjects cannot participate in a falls prevention course

Exclusion criteria

Subjects not able to speak Dutch
Subjects not able to understand and remember simple Dutch instructions
Subjects not capable of using the falls telephone, and do not have an informal caregiver who can answer the falls telephone for them