Effectiveness of Exergaming Training in Reducing Risk and Incidence of Falls in Frail Older Adults With a History of Falls

Objective: To use Nintendo's Wii Fit balance board to determine the effectiveness of exergaming training in reducing risk and incidence of falls in older adults with a history of falls. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: Nursing home for older adults. Participants: Adults aged 65 years and older (N=60). Interventions: Participants who lived in a nursing home had 6 weeks of balance training with either Wii Fit equipment or conventional exercise. Main Outcome Measures: Physiological Profile Assessment scores and incidence of falls were observed with subsequent intention-to-treat statistical analyses. Results: Physiological Profile Assessment scores and incidence of falls improved significantly in both groups after the intervention (all P<.01), but participants in the Wii Fit training group showed a significantly greater improvement in both outcome measures (P=.004 and P<.001, respectively). Conclusions: In institutionalized older adults with a history of falls, Wii Fit balance training was more effective than conventional balance training in reducing the risk and incidence of falls. (C) 2015 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine