Citation

Chuangchai W, Siripakarn Y. J. Popul. Ageing 2019; 12(2): 137-149.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2019, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s12062-019-9239-9

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Executive function (EF) impairment is a significant contributing factor to falls in elderly people. The aim of the current study was to investigate the 8-week period of juggling task and Thai-Stroop test training on EF. Participants in this study were 28 elderly Thais: 14 females and 14 males. They were characterized as non-fallers and fallers groups. In participant characteristic aspect, the result demonstrated that both experience in the past and medical factors were prescribed differently between the two fall-related groups. Examples of experience in the past are former occupation and number of falls. Factors related to medical conditions are for example number of daily medications and the Mini-Mental State Examination Thai (MMSE-Thai) score. High gross motor skills of juggling task in non-fallers had offered better performance compared to fallers. Thai-Stroop test showed that processing time that took the participants longer to react and/or accompanied with poor EF could have an impact on falls. Finally, the current study supports the effectiveness of moderate intensity in short-term training for elderly people to improve motor skill learning, working memory, and attention. Also, counteracting age-related decline in core EF is essential for activities of daily living (ADL). Being seen as a challenging approach, it will nonetheless help reduce the risk of falls and ultimately help older people to successful ageing.

Language: en

Keywords

Elderly; Executive function; Falls; Juggling task; Stroop test; Training