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Halvarsson A.1,2, Dohrn I.-M.1, Skavberg Roaldsen K.1,3, Ståhle A.1,2
1Karolinska Institutet, Division of Physiotherapy, Stockholm, Sweden, 2Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden, 3Sunnaas Rehabilitation Hospital, Oslo, Norway
Background: Falls are one of the most common causes of ill health and morbidity in the older population. In Sweden about 300 000 persons/year seek emergency treatment due to falls and out of these 1600 die. Poor balance control leads to a sedentary life with muscle weakness, fear of falling and an increased risk of falls. Balance training and physical activity have positive effects on fall prevention and balance, but long-term follow-ups are limited. There is also a gap between what has been proven to be efficient in research and what is performed in communities and clinical settings. It is therefore important to implement evidence-based methods proven to have beneficial impact on health and physical function, and to evaluate which strategies for implementation that are of significance.
Purpose: The long-term goal of this research project is to reduce the risk of falling, prevent future falls and fall-related injuries, and decrease concerns about falling in older adults with balance problems and fall-related concerns by implementing an evidence-based balance training program in the community. The goal is also to establish an educational curriculum and offer physiotherapists' nationwide to learn how to manage the program for older individuals at risk of falling.
Methods: The balance-training program has been proven to be efficient, but has not yet been implemented in community and clinical settings. Implementation outcomes will include effectiveness, acceptability, feasibility, fidelity, cost and sustainability. Outcome variables on the individual level will be fall-related concerns, balance performance, physical function and activity, health-related quality of life and number of falls.
Results: During spring and autumn 2016, two clinical settings have started to implement the StayBalanced program in their clinical practice. Some modifications of the balance training program have been necessary to make it possible to implement it in the clinical setting. After the training period, the participants (older adults) in the balance-training groups are more physically active, have increased their balance and gait performance, and decreased their concern about falling.
Conclusion(s): It is feasible to implement the StayBalanced program in clinical settings and the participating older adults gained positive effects of the program. A web page is under construction to facilitate the progression and implementation of the balance-training program, and to meet physiotherapists need for education and training.
Implications: We foresee that the StayBalanced program for older adults will prevent future falls and fall related injuries, increase physical activity level, health-related quality of life and provide the participants with a strategy to be able to have a physically active and healthy life style.
Funding acknowledgements: The study was supported by grants from the regional agreement on medical training and clinical research (ALF).
Topic: Older people
Ethics approval: The study was approved by the Ethical Committee in Stockholm, D.nr: 2016/415-31.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
