Assessment and Referral Versus Exercise in Primary Prevention of Falls: PA Healthy Steps Program



Status:Completed
Conditions:Neurology
Therapuetic Areas:Neurology
Healthy:No
Age Range:50 - 100
Updated:4/21/2016
Start Date:May 2012
End Date:June 2013

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Older adults at high risk of falls will complete the PA Healthy Steps program. This program
will be implemented by research staff who will follow the training manual and implement the
program as it was designed to assess the effectiveness of the program. Participants will
then be randomly assigned to three arms: (i) Follow-up only; (ii) Falls case management, in
which adherence to physician and home safety assessments will be facilitated; and (iii)
Healthy Steps in Motion, a 4-week group exercise program designed to complement Healthy
Steps. All participants will be followed monthly for 6 months through personal and automated
telephone interview protocols to ascertain falls and injuries.

This falls prevention program is offered in 11 senior housing sites. Trained instructors
from the research team provide the Healthy Steps in Motion exercise classes. Participants
provide a signed form indicating physician clearance for participation. Falls case
management involves monthly calls to speak with participants about home safety checks,
perceived risk for falls, and physician contact or other visits to health care professionals
to reduce falls risk.

This study is a pilot. The research team is interested in participation and adherence, as
well as the primary outcome of falls incidence.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Able to provide informed consent

2. Willing to be randomized

3. Scoring in the lowest tertile on at least one test in the Healthy Steps lower
extremity performance battery

4. Age 50+

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Hospice enrollee or life-threatening illness

2. Active cancer treatment

3. Neurologic disease linked to falls risk, such as Parkinson's

4. Unable to ambulate indoors

5. High likelihood of moving in next 6 months
We found this trial at
1
site
4200 Fifth Ave
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15260
(412) 624-4141
University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh is a state-related research university, founded as the...
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Pittsburgh, PA
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