Name of Fellow


Miss Victoria Booth

Institution


Funder


Alzheimer's Society

Contact information of fellow


Country


United Kingdom

Title of project/programme


The influence of mild cognitive impairment on falls, gait and rehabilitation

Source of funding information


Alzheimer's Society

Total sum awarded (Euro)


€ 203,923

Start date of award


18/08/14

Total duration of award in years


3.0

The project/programme is most relevant to:


Alzheimer's disease & other dementias

Keywords


Research Abstract


Aims:
The aim of this project is to investigate the influence of mild cognitive impairment on the gait, balance, falls risk and falls rehabilitation in adults with mild cognitive impairment. Secondary aims include; identification of current treatments for all cognitively impaired patients at risk of falling exploring the relationship between gait parameters, balance measures, and cognitive impairment development and preliminary study of an innovative intervention for adults with cognitive impairment

Methods:
A three-tiered research design will be implemented. Initially a systematic review and meta-analysis will be conducted to identify interventions to reduce fall risk in cognitively impaired adults. Secondly, statistical analysis of secondary gait, balance, and physiological measures from 100 participants with mild cognitive impairment (MMSE 21-26), will be employed. The correlations between various measures and their influence on fall risk will be explored. Thirdly, a case series, repeated measures study will be completed to determine proof-of-concept of an innovative brief intervention in 10 participants with mild cognitive impairment. The intervention will combine traditional falls rehabilitation components with cognitive retraining through techniques adapted for cognitively impaired populations.

Expected Outcomes:
The systematic search of all available literature will provide comprehensive analysis of current falls rehabilitation interventions in adults with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. New information will be generated on gait characteristics in relation to falls risk, balance and cognitive severity, amoung other areas, in mild cognitive impairment. Ascertaining these influences will assist in honing interventions to reduce falls and maintain function in individuals with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.

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