A tablet-based cognitive and physical training intervention to improve postural control for older adults with...

Previous research suggests that adding cognitive training to balance training may improve fall-prevention interventions. This study examined the feasibility and potential effects of a tablet-based intervention comprising balance and strength training alone or combined with cognitive training.

Twenty older adults with subjective cognitive decline who were able to stand and walk unassisted were recruited via social media and senior organizations; 18 completed the study. Participants were allocated to an eight-week tablet-based intervention comprising balance and strength training (BT) or balance and strength training plus cognitive functions (BT + CT). Feasibility outcomes were recruitment, adherence, adverse events, participant experiences and perceived effects. Potential effects on fall-related concerns, cognitive function and postural control were analyzed descriptively.

Recruitment met the prespecifies succession criterion. In the BT group, median adherence to balance training and the walking protocol was 75% and 100%, respectively. In the BT + CT group, median adherence was 83% for cognitive training, 54% for balance and strength training, and 170,5% for walking. The interventions were generally well perceived, although the balance training was considered too easy. Descriptive findings indicated that dual-task costs for gait parameters tended to increase in the BT group but decrease in the BT + CT group.

Tablet-based interventions targeting cognition and postural control were feasible in several respects among older adults with subjective cognitive decline. Digital tools should be flexible enough to accommodate individual needs, interactive to promote motivation and sufficiently challenging to elicit positive adaptations. Measures of gait variability may be sensitive to subtle changes in postural control.