Exercising
to Piano Music Appears to Help Reduce Falls Among Senior Citizens
Program may help fall prevention and rehabilitation in community-based
setting such as senior centers
Nov. 23, 2010 - Introducing a music-based multitask exercise program for
community-dwelling senior citizens people may lead to improved gait
(manner or style of walking), balance and a reduction in the rate of
falling, according to a report posted online yesterday that will be
published in the March 28 print issue of Archives of Internal
Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
"Each year, one-third of the population 65 years and older experiences
at least one fall, and half of those fall repeatedly," the authors write
as background information in the article. "Exercise can counteract key
risk factors for falls, such as poor balance, and consequently reduce
risk of falling in elderly community-dwelling individuals."
As
a large proportion of falls in elderly people occur during walking,
Andrea Trombetti, M.D., of University Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine
of Geneva, Switzerland, and colleagues conducted a randomized controlled
trial of a six-month music-based multitask exercise program to determine
if such a program would lead to improvements in gait and balance, and
reduce the risk of falling in community-dwelling older adults.
The study included 134 elderly adults who were older than 65 and at an
increased risk of falling. The average age of participants was 75.5
years, and 96 percent were women.
During the study, adults were randomly assigned to either a music-based
multitask exercise program, or a delayed intervention control group.
For the first six months, adults in the intervention group participated
in a one-hour weekly exercise program led by an instructor. The class
featured multitask exercises, including a wide-range of movements that
challenged the body's balance control system, which gradually became
more difficult over time. These exercises included walking in time to
the piano music, and responding to changes in the music's rhythm.
During the second six months of the study, the delayed intervention
control group participated in the same exercise class program, while
adults in the intervention group returned to normal exercise activities.
Overall, balance and functional tests improved in the intervention group
when compared to the control group. There were fewer falls in the early
intervention group, as well as a lower rate of falling.
Among the early intervention group (66), there were 24 falls (rate of
falls, 0.7 per person per year), whereas among the delayed intervention
group, there were 54 falls (rate of falls, 1.6 per person per year).
Adults in the delayed intervention control group experienced similar
changes during the second six-month period when they were enrolled in
the exercise class program.
The authors found that under the single-task condition (performing one
task at a time), adults in the intervention group increased their usual
gait velocity (walking speed) and their stride length, compared with the
control group. The stride time variability also improved in the
intervention group.
In
the dual-task condition (performing multiple tasks at the same time),
adults in the intervention group increased their stride length, and
decreased their stride length variability compared to the control group.
Additionally, the benefit of the intervention on gait variability was
still apparent six months later.
This study shows "that participation in music-based multitask exercise
classes once a week over a 6-month period can improve gait performance
under single and cognitive-motor, dual-task conditions, as well as
improve balance, and reduce both the rate of falls and the risk of
falling in at-risk elderly community-dwelling adults," the authors
conclude.
"Our findings suggest that this program may be useful for fall
prevention and rehabilitation in community-based setting such as senior
centers."
Editor's Note: This study was funded by the following organizations and
foundations: Loterie Romande Geneva, Carigest SA, Gertrude Hirzel
Foundation, Leenaards Foundation, Oltramare Foundation, Eagle
Foundation, Foundation for Geneva, Delta rθseau de soins Geneva,
Helsana.
Links to More Archived Reports on
Senior Citizens and Risk of Falls
One-point decrease on social activity scale was
equivalent to being approximately five years older at the start of the
study - risk of death, disability jump
Nov. 23, 2010 - Introducing a music-based multitask exercise program for
community-dwelling senior citizens people may lead to improved gait
(manner or style of walking), balance and a reduction in the rate of
falling, according to a report posted online yesterday that will be
published in the March 28 print issue of Archives of Internal
Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. 
