Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Mohaghegh Ardabili University, Ardabil, Iran
2
Department of Sport Management and Biomechanics, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran
3
Department of Motor Behavior, Faculty of Sports Sciences ,Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
Abstract
Purpose:
The ageing phenomenon is associated with changes in the body system that lead to disorders in the elderly. One of the changes related to ageing is the loss of balance and falls, which leads to a decrease in the necessary information about balance reaching the central nervous system. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of fall-proof exercises on resilience, welfare and the risk of falling in elderly people.
Methods:
The method of the current research was a semi-experimental type with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of this research was all the elderly people of Ardabil city, of which 30 people (15 people in the training group (age: 70.25±5.66 years, height: 175.12±10.44 cm, weight: 78.36±9.48 kg, body mass index: 98.6±15. 26 kg/m2 and cognitive status: 25.12±2.35) and 15 people of the control group (age: 69.58±7.87 years, height: 177.32±7.45 cm, weight: 77.31±7.36 kg, body mass index: 25.63±5.48 and cognitive status: 24.89±1.89)( were selected by available sampling method.The experimental group did fall-proof exercises for 8 weeks, 3 sessions of 50 minutes each week (which included a set of exercises (sensory-physical, vestibular, vision), posture strategies, control of the center of mass and strength exercises) performed. The tools of this research included Conner and Davidson's Resilience Questionnaire, Oxford Happiness Questionnaire and Yardley et al.'s Fall Risk Questionnaire. To analyze the research, a paired t-test was used for intra-group comparison and a multivariate analysis of covariance test was used to compare between-group differences.
Results:
Significant between-group differences were observed in resilience, well-being, and fear of falling (P=0.001) between the exercise and control groups. Within-group analyses revealed that resilience (P<0.001) and well-being (P<0.001) significantly increased by 31.4% and 61.7%, respectively, in the exercise group from pre-test to post-test. Additionally, fear of falling (P<0.001) significantly decreased by 38.1% in the exercise group from pre-test to post-test.
Conclusion:
Based on the findings, fall-proof exercises significantly improved resilience, well-being, and reduced fall risk in the elderly group compared to the control group. This suggests that incorporating fall-proof exercises into rehabilitation programs for elderly individuals, both at home and in care facilities, could be a valuable strategy to promote their overall well-being and prevent falls.
Keywords
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