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Home Based Exercise for Fall Prevention Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults

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Abstract
Background: Older adults have a high susceptibility to falls due to their impaired gait and deteriorating muscle strength and balance. Fall risk factors are modifiable with the help of appropriate individualized and group therapies. Otago Exercise Program (OEP), among the various other fall prevention measures, has shown promising effects in fall prevention among older adults. Purpose: The purpose of the proposed project was to evaluate the effectiveness of OEP in the prevention of falls among community-dwelling older adults. Method: Eligible participants (n= 25) residing in independent and assisted living facilities were selected and the OEP was implemented. The effectiveness of OEP was evaluated using previously validated screening tools namely Timed Up & Go (TUG), 30-second Chair Stand Test (CST), self-rated Fall Risk Questionnaire (FRQ), and 4-stage balance test. A weekly exercise log was used to track the number of falls per day. Descriptive statistics analyzed the demographic data, and the McNemar test was used to compare the fall risks pre- and post-intervention. Results: The implementation of OEP among older adults has shown appreciable changes in reducing fall risks. The statistical significance of TUG (p= 0.008), 30-second CST (p=0.031), 4-stage balance test (p= 0.002), and the number of falls (p= 0.002) promotes the use of OEP.The subjective fall risk assessment using the self-rated FRQ (p>0.05) was not statistically significant. The average number of days and the exercises performed each week were 3.72 and 10.17, respectively. Conclusion: The use of OEP in older adults has shown remarkable improvement in fall prevention which is evident from the changes in the scores of the assessment tools that evaluated the risk of falls. The improvement in muscle strength and balance was associated with a decrease in fall risk, the number of falls, and increased adherence to fall prevention strategies.
Type
Capstone Project
Date
2024-05
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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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