Fall-related injuries are a major health problem in the growing older population. Most older people are not aware of that physical training can decrease the risk of falling. The aim of tha study is to investigate the effect of the Otago home exercise programme with and without motivational interviewing in community-dwelling people 75 years or older on frequence of falls, fall-related injuries, physical capacity, fall-related self-efficacy, quality of life, mortality and health-related costs.
Participants in the two intervention groups will exercise at home with supervision from physiotherapist week one, two, four and eight. They will then be contacted for telephone follow-up month five, seven and twelve after the start of training. The control group is encouraged to live as usual. All participants are assessed at baseline, after three, 12 and 24 months from inclusion in the study.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
420
Otago home exercise program was designed specifically to prevent falls. It consists of a set of leg muscle strengthening and balance retraining exercises progressing in difficulty, and a walking plan. The exercise are individually prescribed and increase in difficulty during a series of five home visits by a physiotherapist.
This group is not only exercising at home but also getting motivational interviewing from the physiotherapist at he five home visits. The physiotherapists doing motivational interviewing are specially trained in motivational interviewing.
Homes
Uppsala, Sweden
Homes
Västerås, Sweden
Frequence of falls will be measured with a monthly fall-calender
A fall-calender with registration of falls on a monthly bases will be used to record falls. The fall-calender should be sent in each month. Falls will be followed-up with telephone interviews.
Time frame: Two year
Fall-related injuries will be measured by telephone interviews.
Time frame: Two years
Physical performance will be measured with Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB)
SPPB measures balance, functional leg strength and walking speed.
Time frame: Two years
Dynamic balance will be assessed with Mini-BESTest
Mini-BESTest assess dynamic balance impairments in 14 items. The items covers a broad spectrum of performance tasks, including transitions and anticipatory postural adjustments, postural responses to to perturbation, sensory orientation and dynamic stability in gait.
Time frame: Two years
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