JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Prevention of falls among the elderly has boosted the development of technological solutions, requiring testing in clinical contexts and robust studies that need prior validation of procedures and data collection tools.

Objective:

This pre-test sought to i) test the data collection tool and its application; ii) test the application of functional tests; iii) train the researchers; iv) test the usability of the FallSensing Games application by the elderly in a community setting

Methods:

The pre-test was carried out on a sample of eleven elderly participants attending a day care centre. Several tests (30-Second Chair Stand Test; Timed-Up and Go Test and 4 Stage Balance Test) were applied to assess functional capacity and the risk of fall. Physical exercise sessions were held using the interactive game FallSensing Games.

Results:

The pre-test was conducted on a sample of 11 participants with a mean age of 75.08 (SD=3.80) years, mostly female (90.9%) and with low schooling (3-6 years) (90.9%). Clinically, the results show a group of elderly people with comorbidities who portray the epidemiological profile of chronic disease, with high expressiveness of HBP, osteoarticular disease and urinary incontinence. In this sample, despite the high prevalence of osteoarticular disease, only two elderly people used walking aids. The cognitive evaluation of the participants through the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), showed results with an average score of 25.64 (SD=3.5). The functional capacity assessed using the Lawton & Brody scale (overall score varying between 0-23, with lower scores reflecting worse capacity to carry out activities), showed impairment in different instrumental activities of daily living (average score =14.27).

Conclusions:

The present study was conducted as a pre-test of a future pilot study, to identify the weaknesses of the data collection tool, to test the application of functional tests and a physical exercise programme (using technology), to train procedures and to standardise the "modus operandi" of data collection. The data collection tool has proven to enable a clear interpretation, however, its structure needed small readjustments to facilitate the data collection process. Despite the length of the questionnaire, its implement took an average of 21 minutes. For the assessment of the prevalence of fear of falling, the need to add a question was identified, to clarify whether or not the participant was afraid of falling. The performance of functional tests by the participants, under the guidance and the presence of rehabilitation nurses, proved to be favourable to enhance their self-confidence. As aforementioned, the use of the technology, both in the data collection phase and in the execution of the exercise session, led to adjustments to its implementation. The interactive games were well accepted by the participants, and the physical exercises allowed data collection on the functionality of the elderly, such as the number of repetitions in the tests, the range of movement (angle), the duration of the movements and the execution of each cycle. The fact that the games were played in groups enabled to develop a spirit of competitiveness among the participants, in the search for a better score in the games, which can be interpreted as a positive aspect. Despite the pre-test results, this study aims to contribute to the practice of professionals in clinical and research contexts, given the scarcity of information on this relevant stage in experimental/quasi-experimental studies.