Efficacy of a Falls Reduction Program to Improve Physical Performance in Elderly Participants
Topic of Interest
Quality Initiatives
Patient Populations
Abstract
Older adults have an increased risk of falling which leads to a decline in their continued function and independence. The objective of this study was to prospectively measure efficacy of the 8-week A Matter of Balance (MOB) falls reduction program in increasing Functional Reach (FR) and reducing Timed Get Up and Go (TUG) scores among elderly participants (age > 65 years). A one-tailed paired T-test was used to compare FR pre- and post-score mean differences. A one-tailed Wilcoxon Signed Rank test was employed for comparing median differences of pre- and post-test TUG assessments.Significant findings (p = .002) revealed that the MOB intervention improved FR scores (n = 120) by an average of 0.59 inches from pre-test to post-test. Significant differences (p < .001) between median pre-test and post-test TUG scores (n = 119) were also found. On average, TUG scores were reduced by 1.25 seconds following completion of the intervention. The MOB program was effective in improving both FR and TUG scores among elderly participants. At-risk individuals > 65 years of age should be encouraged to participate in the MOB program to decrease their risk of falling while promoting their independence.