Balance recovery training for fall prevention in retirement communities

描述(申请人提供)：这项转化性研究的目标是评估平衡恢复训练作为退休社区老年人现场预防跌倒运动干预的有效性和可行性。在美国，跌倒是65岁以上老年人受伤和与伤害相关的死亡的主要原因。虽然人们普遍认为运动有助于预防跌倒，但运动并不总是减少跌倒的次数，目前还不清楚哪些类型的运动在预防跌倒方面最有效。平衡恢复训练(BRT)是一种新型的运动干预措施，它有可能通过提高老年人在常见的平衡扰动(如绊倒)后的平衡恢复能力来减少跌倒的次数。BRT包括在安全、可控的环境中反复将个人暴露于姿势扰动中，以允许练习和改善反应性平衡恢复。我们将在持续护理退休社区对老年跌倒者进行为期四周的现场BRT，并确定其在接下来的六个月内对平衡恢复能力的影响，并与另一组老年跌倒者进行太极运动干预作为替代运动干预。为了进一步将快速公交转化为退休社区的典型做法，我们还将收集有关退休后快速公交的促进者和障碍的数据。 使用定性方法的社区。这些定量(平衡恢复能力)和定性(实施过程)的措施将为随后的大型实际临床试验提供基础，以测试BRT在减少老年人跌倒次数方面的有效性。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this translational research study is to evaluate the efficacy and feasibility of balance recovery training as an on-site fall prevention exercise intervention for older adults living in retirement communities. Falls are the leading cause of injuries and injury-related deaths among older adults over the age of 65 in the United States. While it is generally accepted that exercise helps prevent falls, exercise does not always reduce the number of falls, and it remains unclear which types of exercise are most effective at preventing falls. Balance recovery training (BRT) is a novel exercise intervention that has that has the potential to decrease the number of falls among older adults by improving their balance recovery ability after common balance perturbations such as tripping. BRT involves repeatedly exposing individuals to postural perturbations in a safe, controlled setting that allows reactive balance recovery to be practiced and improved. We will administer BRT on-site at continuing care retirement communities over four weeks to older adult fallers and determine its effects on balance recovery ability over the following six months compared to another group of older adult fallers performing Tai Chi as an alternative exercise intervention. To further address the potential for BRT to be translated into typical practice within retirement communities, we will also collect data on facilitators and barriers to the long-term sustainability of BRT in retirement communities using qualitative methods. These quantitative (balance recovery ability) and qualitative (implementation process) measures will provide the basis for a subsequent large practical clinical trial to test the effectiveness of BRT on reducing the number of falls among older adults.