Engineering Improved Balance Confidence in Older Adults With Complex Health Care Needs: Learning From the Muscling Up Against Disability Study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the associations of balance confidence with physical and cognitive markers of well-being in older adults receiving government-funded aged care services and whether progressive resistance plus balance training could positively influence change.

Design: Intervention study.

Setting: Community-based older adult-specific exercise clinic.

Participants: Older adults (N=245) with complex care needs who were receiving government-funded aged care support.

Interventions: Twenty-four weeks of twice weekly progressive resistance plus balance training carried out under the supervision of accredited exercise physiologists.

Main outcome measures: The primary measure was the Activity-specific Balance Confidence Scale. Secondary measures included the Short Physical Performance Battery; fall history gathered as part of the health history questionnaire; hierarchical timed balance tests; Geriatric Anxiety Index; Geriatric Depression Scale; Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illness, Loss of Weight scale; and EuroQoL-5 dimension 3 level.

Results: At baseline, better physical performance (r=.54; P<.01) and quality of life (r=.52; P<.01) predicted better balance confidence. In contrast, at baseline, higher levels of frailty predicted worse balance confidence (r=-.55; P<.01). Change in balance confidence after the exercise intervention was accompanied by improved physical performance (+12%) and reduced frailty (-11%). Baseline balance confidence was identified as the most consistent negative predictor of change scores across the intervention.

Conclusions: This study shows that reduced physical performance and quality of life and increased frailty are predictive of worse balance confidence in older adults with aged care needs. However, when a targeted intervention of resistance and balance exercise is implemented that reduces frailty and improves physical performance, balance confidence will also improve. Given the influence of balance confidence on a raft of well-being determinants, including the capacity for positive physical and cognitive change, this study offers important insight to those looking to reduce falls in older adults.

Keywords: Aging; Exercise; Rehabilitation.