The Senior Step Study How Elderly Help Themselves Maximally Forward

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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The Senior Step Study investigates whether feedback given by a mobility feedback device in combination with an instruction book containing every day exercises, motivates elderly to exercise more. By exercising more participants take charge of their own mobility and fall risk. Senior Step Study studies whether this 'exercising more' positively affects their mobility, fall risk, mental wellbeing, self-management, and quality of life.

Detailed Description
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Falling is an important problem among community-dwelling elderly. The number of falls and concomitant health costs will rise within an aging population. Fall related injuries and fear of falling decrease mobility and have a negative impact on social functioning, mood, wellbeing and autonomy. Research from a medical perspective has concentrated on case finding and fall prevention. Currently, insufficient possibilities are available for elderly and caregiver to asses and improve their own mobility and fall risk. The Senior Step Study aims to provide a tool for elderly to improve their self-management abilities in monitoring and improving mobility and fall risk. The researchers expect that elderly in the intervention group will be more aware of their own mobility and fall risk, and will therefore experience more autonomy, better mental wellbeing, and better quality of life. We expect this to reflect in less demands made on healthcare by the elderly. 150 elderly living at home, in a home for the elderly, and elderly who regularly attend activities in a community home, are asked to participate in the study. During the six months of the study, subjects will receive weekly telephone calls from the computerized falls telephone. The intervention group will measure their normal gait speed measured over 4 meters, using the mobility feedback device once a week, and use the feedback given by this mobility feedback device to perform exercises from the instruction book. Activity diaries allow them to register the type and duration of the exercises.

Official Title
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The Senior Step Study: How Elderly Help Themselves Maximally Forward

Conditions
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Self-management for Mobility Improvement in the Elderly

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Mobility feedback device with use of instruction book


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Subjects of 70 years and over Subjects who experienced at least 1 fall in the previous 12 months Subjects who can walk independently or with a walking aid Informed consent on the basis of Dutch legislation (WMO) During the study subjects cannot participate in a falls prevention course Exclusion Criteria: Subjects not able to speak Dutch Subjects not able to understand and remember simple Dutch instructions Subjects not capable of using the falls telephone, and do not have an informal caregiver who can answer the falls telephone for them

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 70 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Single


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| No Intervention: Control group<br>No intervention besides weekly telephone calls from the computerized falls telephone system | |
| Experimental: Intervention group<br>Weekly use of the mobility feedback device, use of instruction book with every day exercises, use of activity diary in intervention group. | Behavioral: Mobility feedback device with use of instruction book<br>* Weekly use of the mobility feedback device to measure gait speed. Two infrared sensors will be placed in the line of walking, a photo frame containing a display, symbols and lights will tell the participant when and how to perform the test. Gait speed is shown on the display and will serve as feedback to the participant. Participant can use their gait speed to decide which exercises from the instruction book he performs. Participants will be asked to keep an activity diary.<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mental wellbeing | Medical Outcomes Study (MOS-20) | Baseline to 3 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Number of falls | Computerized falls telephone system | Baseline to 6 months | 
| Self-management | Self-Management Ability Scale (SMAS-30) | Baseline to 3 months, baseline to 6 months | 
| Physical activity | LASA Physical Activity Questionnaire (LAPAQ) | Baseline to 3 months, baseline to 6 months | 
| Fear of falling | Falls Efficacy Scale (FES-I) | Baseline to 3 months, baseline to 6 months | 
| Balance and mobility | Short Physical Perfomance Battery, Timed Up and Go | Baseline to 3 months, baseline to 6 months | 
| Mental Wellbeing | Medical Outcomes Study (MOS-20) | Baseline to 6 months | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Mobility, Falls, Fall risk, Gait speed, Self-management, Mental wellbeing, Elderly