Remote Balance Training for Individuals With Dementia

Individuals with dementia (IwDs) fall more and are more seriously injured in falls than their age-matched, cognitively intact peers. An accessible and sustainable fall prevention program would be of great value. Using remote technology has become commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Marymount University's new Center for Optimal Aging plans to use this technology to bring a web-based version of a well-established and accepted evidence-based fall prevention intervention, the Otago Exercise Program, into the homes of IwDs and their care partners. Care partners will be trained in the home for safety and oversight of their exercising partner with dementia. Dyads of IwD and care partners will access the online exercise program through an online Learning Management System (Canvas) three times per week which tracks their access to exercise videos. Once per week, exercise will take place in a Zoom format with a small cohort of other dyads, supervised by a research team member, and the other two times will be independent access of exercise videos. The purpose of this study is to determine the viability of remote administration of the Otago Exercise Program by assessing program functionality, utility, and effectiveness. Feasibility will be evaluated by using components of the RE-AIM framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance). The results will guide and inform adaptations of future remote training efforts for IwD, with implications at the individual, family, and societal levels.