Designing Enjoyable Multimodal Activities to Reduce Falls Risk in the Community

This paper summarizes on-going work aimed at improving falls rehabilitation in the community using enjoyable multimodal exercise games. There have been numerous successful trials involving the use of exercise interventions to reduce falls risk. However, there is an existing problem with adherence to these exercises in the home. We propose the use of games – based on established programmes of exercise for falls prevention – to encourage independence and motivation to exercise in community-dwelling older adults at risk of falls. Current evidence shows that games can be used to aid rehabilitation; with most studies focusing on the use of commercially available games. In cases where certain limb motions are required for effective recovery; special games and hardware tools that encourage these motions are needed. Because such tools are often expensive and complex to set up; most interventions of this type have been restricted to the laboratory setting. In order to deliver these activities to community-dwelling users, we investigated the use of various portable wireless technologies to help achieve this aim. Finally, we describe the next stage of our research in which we intend to co-design with falls patients, engaging multimodal activities to motivate users to exercise. Once this phase is complete, we will evaluate, through trials, the use of these activities in the home.