THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A TAILOR MADE EXERCISE PROTOCOL IN REDUCING THE RISK OF FALLS IN COMMUNITY DWELLING ELDERLY – AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

*Arun Thachil and Arun Idiculla Varghese

ABSTRACT

Background: Older persons fall often. Approximately 30%of the community dwelling persons aged 65 and older fall at least once per year and about 15% fall two or more times per year. Falls may have serious consequences, such as injury and disability that are major threat to the independence and well -being of older adults. Moreover, fall – related injuries rank as the third leading cause of years lived with disability according to the WHO report. Methodology: 30 subjects above the age of 65 years were assessed and selected for the study who satisfies the inclusion criteria. All the subjects were assessed using Berg Balance Scale (BBS) to obtain the pretest value. A tailor made exercise protocol were given to all the subjects for a period of 3 months. The protocol was administered 5 days a week each session lasts for 40 minutes. After 12 weeks all subjects were reassessed using BBS to obtain the posttest value. Result: The result were analyzed using paired t-test .The significance level was p <0.001. Conclusion: The study proves tailor made exercise as an effective treatment in reducing the risk of falls in community dwelling elderly. It helps in improving strength, flexibility, endurance and joint range of motion.

Keywords: Tailor made exercise protocol, Risk of fall, Community dwelling elderly.