Efficacy of Education with Balance Exercise Program in improving balance and reducing the fear of falls in elderly: A Randomized Clinical trial.

Abstract

Background: The elderly population is probably among the most sensitive groups of people regarding decline of postural stability and general mobility. The consequences of a fall may be Physical, Psychological or social affecting elderly from minor injuries to major fractures. Objective: To determine the efficacy of education with Balance Exercise in improving balance and reducing the fear of falls in elderly. Materials and Methods: 60 subjects were selected on the basis of selection criteria and were randomly allocated to the Experimental group (n=30) and to the Conventional group (n=30) .Subjects in the Conventional Group received Balance training and in the Experimental Group Received Balance training along with education programme. Sessions were conducted twice weekly and each session was conducted for between 15 and 35 min for 6 weeks. Pre and Post Intervention scores were taken using Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Activity Specific Balance Confidence Scale (ABC). Results: The results suggested that there was improvement in mean change scores of BBS and ABC after treatment in Experimental group and Conventional group. But statistical analysis reveals that there was more significant improvement in Experimental group with a change scores of 4.567 in BBS and 6.89 in ABC. (p value ≤0.05). Conclusion: There was statistically more significant improvement in Experimental group than Conventional group.