Advances in group-based falls rehabilitation
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The effect of a group-based modified FaME vs. multisensory balance programme on falls risk, balance confidence and quality of life in older adults who fall or at risk of falling: A randomised controlled trial
IRAS ID
197163
Contact name
Fang-Yu Luo
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
Falls in older adults have a major impact on health, morbidity and mortality and have significant cost implications to healthcare providers. Government legislation states targeted multifactorial falls rehabilitation should be provided to older adult fallers.
Currently, falls rehabilitation programmes combine strengthening and simple balance exercises and are often delivered in a group-class setting with an average reduction of 30% in falls rate. The FaME, one commonly implemented programme, has been shown to improve balance and walking speed, reduce falls, the chance of hospitalization, institutionalization, and death and fear of falling.
However, the ability to maintain balance also relies on the brain’s ability to correctly perceive, interpret and react to sensory information picked up by the visual, somatosensory, and vestibular (i.e. inner ear) systems, which sense touch, movement, force of gravity and body position. Decreased vestibular function, which can result in symptoms of lightheadedness, unsteadiness and falls, is noted with increasing age. Vestibular rehabilitation improves balance confidence, postural stability and walking ability in people with a peripheral vestibular disorder.Until recently no studies had incorporated vestibular exercises into falls rehabilitation programmes. Therefore, the efficacy of this type of multisensory balance programme in older adult fallers was unknown. A recent study showed that combining the modified OTAGO falls rehabilitation programme with multisensory balance exercises was feasible in older adult fallers and may have a greater beneficial effect on balance, gait, and falls risk compared to the OTAGO programme in isolation. The FaME programme includes certain multisensory balance exercises, but these are introduced only in the latter phase of the programme. This study’s main aim is to compare the effect of a group-based modified FaME vs. multisensory balance exercise programme on falls risk, balance confidence and quality of life in older adults who fall or at risk of falling.
REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/LO/0920
Date of REC Opinion
3 Mar 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion