We’re pleased to see the published study by researchers from the Abilities Research Center (ARC) at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai at the Mount Sinai Health System which looked at whether the EvolvRehab Fall Prevention program is a feasible manner to provide therapeutic exercise to older adults at risk of falls.
Falls are the leading cause of injury-related fatalities and nonfatal traumatic hospital admissions for older adults and the problem has become a critical issue for health and social care systems globally.
According to the American Center for Disease Control, a quarter of all adults in America over age 65 fall every year. This translates to 36 million falls among older adults yearly in the United States, resulting in more than 32,000 deaths. Approximately $50 billion is spent annually on medical costs related to non-fatal fall injuries. This is the same scenario in other countries as well, where falls
In 2019, Evolv co-developed its Fall Prevention Exergaming program with experts in the field including Dr David Putrino from the ARC and the rehabilitation team at IMQ (Igualatorio Medico Quirúrgico) Igurco, a Basque social and healthcare provider. IMQ Igurco later collaborated with Dr David Putrino and the ARC team to run a feasibility study of EvolvRehab at one of its care homes.
The study consisted of a control group of 12 residents of the IMQ Igurco Orue care home using a traditional fall prevention program supervised by therapists, with another 12 residents at the same center using the EvolvRehab system. The mean age of the EvolvRehab users was 79.4 years old, and the oldest participant was 97 years old.
All participants performed 3 x 30-minute exercise sessions per week over 3 months. The Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) and Tinetti Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment test, two standardized measures of physical function and balance ability, were administered pre- and post-treatment for both groups.
The analysis of the results for both groups found that the EvolvRehab program using a low-cost motion capture camera system could feasibly deliver balance and strength training that improved physical function to a similar degree as a standard program delivered by therapists.
After three months of therapy, both groups demonstrated improvement on either the Short Physical Performance Battery or Tinetti Performance Oriented Mobility Assessment. Notably, no falls occurred during the exergaming intervention, which is an important detail given this is a common risk for older adults.
As demonstrated by the study, the EvolvRehab Fall Prevention exergaming program can be a valuable tool in helping to prevent falls in older adults and other people with balance issues. It can be used in a variety of settings, from hospitals, care homes, day centres and directly in users’ homes through telerehabilitation.
For more information about the EvolvRehab Fall Prevention program, please contact us at info@evolvrehab.com.