Vestibular Exercises as a Fall Prevention Strategy in Patients with Cognitive Impairment

Vestibular impairment (VI) and cognitive impairment (CI) are risk factors for senior falls. We tested the feasibility of a self-directed 12-week vestibular rehabilitation (VR) program in Memory Clinic patients (65 years+) with a fall, CI and VI. We assessed recruitment, exercise adherence and ability to complete questionnaires/assessments. Twelve patients with CI and falls were screened and 8/12 (75% - prevalence) had VI. All patients completed the screening tests/questionnaires (100% - completeness); 7/8 patients were recruited (87.5% - recruitment); 1/7 (85.7% - attrition) patient attended follow-up. VI is prevalent in patients with CI experiencing falls but traditional VR is not feasible, so a novel delivery of VR must be explored.