Citation

Spanò B, Lombardi MG, De Tollis M, Szczepanska MA, Ricci C, Manzo A, Giuli S, Polidori L, Griffini IA, Adriano F, Caltagirone C, Annicchiarico R. Brain Sci. 2022; 12(2): e168.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Switzerland Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI) AG)

DOI

10.3390/brainsci12020168

PMID

35203932

Abstract

Falling is a frequent and major clinical problem among older adults, as well as in patients with chronic cerebrovascular diseases (CVD). At present, sequential (mixed) and simultaneously (dual-task) motor-cognitive trainings are the best approaches to affording patients more autonomy in their everyday motor independence while reducing fall risks and consequences. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an advanced and innovative dual-task motor-cognitive rehabilitation program on fall risks in vulnerable older persons with chronic CVD. To this purpose, 26 consecutive older fallers with chronic CVD were recruited, and completed a mixed motor-cognitive or a dual-task motor-cognitive training program. Each patient also underwent two test evaluations to assess balance, gait, fear of falling, and walking performance at pre-and post-intervention. We found that our experimental motor-cognitive dual-task rehabilitation program could be an effective method to improve walking balance, gait, walking speed, and fear of falling, while reducing the risk of falls in older people with chronic CVD. Furthermore, results show that the simultaneous motor-cognitive training is more effective than the sequential motor-cognitive training. Therefore, our study brings innovative data, which can contribute positively to the management of this population.

Language: en

Keywords

fall; balance; gait; cerebrovascular; cognitive; dual-task; fear of falling; motor; older adult; walking speed