Actively Recruiting
Aging and Task-specific Training to Reduce Falls
Led by University of Illinois at Chicago · Updated on 2025-07-30
315
Participants Needed
1
Research Sites
211 weeks
Total Duration
On this page
Sponsors
U
University of Illinois at Chicago
Lead Sponsor
N
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Collaborating Sponsor
AI-Summary
What this Trial Is About
The goal of this clinical trial is to examine the effects of a novel task-specific balance training for reducing environmental falls in community ambulatory older adults who are at-risk of falling. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does task-specific balance training improve the ability to prevent falling when unexpected perturbations such as slips and trips occur, and/or improve balance control during self-initiated movements? * Does task-specific balance training reduce real-life falls for 18 months after training? Researchers will compare task-specific balance training with conventional balance training and treadmill perturbation-based training to examine how this novel intervention compares to established interventions for improving balance. Participants who participate in the study will be asked to do the following: * Complete a pre-training assessment of their balance control, and then be randomized to one of three training groups: 1) task-specific balance training, 2) treadmill perturbation-based training, and 3) conventional balance training * Complete their assigned training protocol for 8 weeks (2x per week for a total of 16 sessions) * Complete 2 post-training assessments of their balance control, the first being completed immediately after the training is completed, and the second being completed 18 months after the training is completed * Wear a physical activity monitor for 18 months after completing the intervention to monitor their real life falls.
CONDITIONS
Official Title
Aging and Task-specific Training to Reduce Falls
Who Can Participate
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if you...
- Aged 60 to 90 years
- Understand English to safely complete study protocols
- Able to walk independently for 1 block and 10 meters without an assistive device
- At-risk adults who have had at least 1 fall in the past 12 months or are identified as high fall-risk by prediction model
You will not qualify if you...
- Major surgery within the last 6 months
- Hospitalization within the last 3 months
- Taking sedative drugs
- Acute or uncontrolled neurological, cardiopulmonary, musculoskeletal, or cancer diagnosis
- Intact visual and auditory ability with or without corrective aids
- Severe osteoporosis (heel bone density score less than -2.5)
- Loss of sensation on monofilament test
- Cognitive impairment (mini mental state exam score less than 25 out of 30)
- Shortness of breath or uncontrolled pain greater than 3 out of 10
- Inability to complete age-specified minimal distance on 6 minute walk test for endurance
AI-Screening
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Trial Site Locations
Total: 1 location
1
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60622
Actively Recruiting
Research Team
T
Tanvi Bhatt, PT, PhD
CONTACT
How is the study designed?
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Masking
DOUBLE
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Model
PARALLEL
Primary Purpose
TREATMENT
Number of Arms
3
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