Highlights
- •Whole Body Vibration (WBV) training has been suggested to be an effective way to reduce risk of falls among elderly but has been rarely investigated among nursing home residents.
- •The application of an 8-wk WBV-based intervention in a nursing home setting is feasible and effective to reduce fall risk factors, improve performance in activities of daily living and increase health-related quality of life in nursing home residents over the age of 80 years.
- •The intervention presented here could operate as a model for nursing home practitioners to implement WBV as an exercise-based management intervention for residents in nursing homes.
Abstract
Objective
To test the feasibility and effectiveness of whole-body vibration (WBV) therapy on
fall risk, functional dependence and health-related quality of life in nursing home
residents aged 80+ years.
Design
Twenty-nine 80–95 years old volunteers, nursing home residents were randomized to
an eight-week WBV intervention group) (n = 15) or control group (n = 14). Functional mobility was assessed using the timed up and go (TUG) test. Lower
limb performance was evaluated using the 30-s Chair Sit to Stand (30-s CSTS) test.
Postural stability was measured using a force platform. The Barthel Index was used
to assess functional dependence and the EuroQol (EQ-5D) was used to evaluate Health-Related
Quality of Life. All outcome measures were assessed at baseline and at a follow-up
after 8 weeks.
Results
At the 8-week follow up, TUG test (p < 0.001), 30-s CSTS number of times (p = 0.006), EQ-5Dmobility (p < 0.001), EQ-5DVAS (p < 0.014), EQ-5Dutility (p < 0.001) and Barthel index (p = 0.003) improved in the WBV intervention group when compared to the control group.
Conclusions
An 8-week WBV-based intervention in a nursing home setting is effective in reducing
fall risk factors and quality of life in nursing home residents aged 80+.
Keywords
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to MaturitasAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Falls in the elderly: what can be done?.Int Nurs Rev. 2007; 54: 191-196
- Unintentional injury mortality in the European Union: how many more lives could be saved?.Scand J Public Health. 2007; 35: 278-287
- Prevention of falls and fall-related injuries in community-dwelling seniors: an evidence-based analysis.Ont Health Technol Assess Ser. 2008; 8: 1-78
- The health-related quality of life and cost implications of falls in elderly women.Osteoporos Int. 2009; 20: 869-878
- Interventions for preventing falls in older people in nursing care facilities and hospitals.Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010; 20: CD005465
- Impact of falls on the balance, gait, and activities of daily living functioning in community-dwelling Chinese older adults.J Gerontol Ser A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2006; 61: 399-404
- Low relative skeletal muscle mass (sarcopenia) in older persons is associated with functional impairment and physical disability.J Am Geriatr Soc. 2002; 50: 889-896
- Muscle strength, body composition, hormones, and aging.Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2005; 33: 61-62
- Effects of aging-related losses in strength on the ability to recover from a backward balance loss.J Biomech. 2013; 46: 13-18
- Enhancing functional balance and mobility among older people living in long-term care facilities.Geriatr Nurs. 2011; 32: 106-113
- The role of exercise in fall prevention for older adults.Clin Geriatr Med. 2010; 26: 607-631
- Prevention of falls in the elderly: a review.Scand J Public Health. 2013; 41: 442-454
- Evidence-based and evidence-inspired: an intergenerational approach in the promotion of balance and strength for fall prevention.Gerontology. 2011; 57: 424-426
- Balance training reduces fear of falling and improves dynamic balance and isometric strength in institutionalised older people: a randomised trial.J Physiother. 2012; 58: 97-104
- Effective exercise for the prevention of falls: a systematic review and meta-analysis.J Am Geriatr Soc. 2008; 56: 2234-2243
- Exercise to prevent falls in older adults: an updated meta-analysis and best practice recommendations.NSW Public Health Bull. 2011; 22: 78-83
- Whole-body vibration in addition to strength and balance exercise for falls-related functional mobility of frail older adults: a single-blind randomized controlled trial.Clin Rehabil. 2012; 26: 915-923
- Effects of whole body vibration training on cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength in older individuals (a 1-year randomised controlled trial).Age Ageing. 2009; 38: 448-454
- Effects of whole-body vibration on postural control in elderly: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Geriatr. 2011; 11: 72
- The effect of whole body vibration on balance, mobility and falls in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Maturitas. 2012; 72: 206-213
- The feasibility of whole body vibration in institutionalised elderly persons and its influence on muscle performance, balance and mobility: a randomised controlled trial [ISRCTN62535013].BMC Geriatr. 2005; 5: 17
- Controlled whole body vibration to decrease fall risk and improve health-related quality of life of nursing home residents.Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2005; 86: 303-307
- Changes in balance, functional performance and fall risk following whole body vibration training and vitamin D supplementation in institutionalized elderly women. A 6 month randomized controlled trial.Gait Posture. 2011; 33: 466-472
- Effects of 3 months of short sessions of controlled whole body vibrations on the risk of falls among nursing home residents.BMC Geriatr. 2013; 13: 42
- Evaluation of the impact of 6-month training by whole body vibration on the risk of falls among nursing home residents, observed over a 12-month period: a single blind, randomized controlled trial.Aging Clin Exp Res. 2014;
- The timed “Up & Go”: a test of basic functional mobility for frail elderly persons.J Am Geriatr Soc. 1991; 39: 142-148
- The effect of functional mobility and balance on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among elderly people living at home and those living in nursing home.Arch Gerontol Geriatr. 2011; 52: e180-e184
- Predicting the probability for falls in community-dwelling older adults using the Timed Up & Go Test.Phys Ther. 2000; 80: 896-903
- Human Kinetics Senior fitness test manual. Human Kinetics, Champaign, IL2001
- Comparison of clinical and biomechanical measures of balance and mobility in elderly nursing home residents.J Am Geriatr Soc. 1994; 42: 493-500
- Measures of postural steadiness: differences between healthy young and elderly adults.IEEE Trans Biomed Eng. 1996; 43: 956-966
- Functional evaluation: the Barthel index.MD State Med J. 1965; 14: 61-65
- EuroQol—a new facility for the measurement of health-related quality of life.Health Policy. 1990; 16: 199-208
- EuroQol: the current state of play.Health Policy. 1996; 37: 53-72
- Effect size estimates: current use, calculations, and interpretation.J Exp Psychol Gen. 2012; 141: 2-18
- Skeletal muscle power: a critical determinant of physical functioning in older adults.Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2012; 40: 4-12
- Muscle performance and functional capacity retention in older women after high-speed power training cessation.Exp Gerontol. 2012; 47: 620-624
- The use of vibration as an exercise intervention.Exerc Sport Sci Rev. 2003; 31: 3-7
- Echo intensity is associated with skeletal muscle power and cardiovascular performance in elderly men.Exp Gerontol. 2012; 47: 473-478
- Multicomponent exercises including muscle power training enhance muscle mass, power output, and functional outcomes in institutionalized frail nonagenarians.Age (Dordr). 2013;
- Balance control during walking in the older adult: research and its implications.Phys Ther. 1997; 77: 646-660
- Whole body vibration improves the single-leg stance static balance in women with fibromyalgia: a randomized controlled trial.J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2012; 52: 85-91
- Effects of whole body vibration therapy on main outcome measures for chronic non-specific low back pain: a single-blind randomized controlled trial.J Rehabil Med. 2011; 43 (official journal of the UEMS European Board of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine): 689-694
- Anxiety and depression in care homes in Malta and Australia: Part 1.Br J Nurs. 2013; 22 (80-3): 677-678
- Quality of life at older ages: evidence from the English longitudinal study of aging (wave 1).J Epidemiol Community Health. 2006; 60: 357-363
Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 29, 2014
Accepted:
September 22,
2014
Received in revised form:
September 9,
2014
Received:
August 10,
2014
Identification
Copyright
© 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
