‘Standing Tall’ against falls
A new smartphone app may make it easier for health professionals to monitor the ‘balance’ of their clients, ensuring they remain steady on their feet.
NeuRA's software engineer Thomas Davies, Dr Kim Delbaere and research assistant Ashley Woodbury.
The app, Standing Tall, is a home based balance training program delivered through mobile technology.
The app, developed by Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA), is delivered on a tablet computer and offers individually tailored, progressive and high intensity balance exercises. It is designed in line with evidence based, best practice principles for fall prevention in a form that will maximise long term adherence.
Accidental falls remain an important problem for older people, with evidence suggesting they have to exercise for at least two hours each week for six months to prevent falls, with a strong focus on balance exercises.
However, the incorporation of regular exercise as a ‘consistent’ lifestyle behaviour (i.e. more than two hours per week) is not easy for many older people because of poor exercise tolerance and enjoyment.
Recent advances in mobile technology (e.g. tablet computers) offer good methods to deliver health messages and to motivate and guide people to make lifestyle changes.
While the app involves ‘home based’ training exercises, NeuRA claims it’s possible for residential aged care facilities to use the app as part of its ‘in home’ exercise program, to ensure residents are then comfortable to use the app at home to complete the exercises at the recommended dose of 120 minutes per week.
Standing Tall will be offered as a ‘free’ app after it has undergone further testing as part of a clinical trial mid next year. It will then reportedly be available to the public in about two years.
