{"id":67074,"date":"2025-08-14T19:06:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T19:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/67074\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T19:06:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T19:06:10","slug":"parkinsons-fall-prevention-program-gets-high-marks-from-users","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/67074\/","title":{"rendered":"Parkinson\u2019s fall prevention program gets high marks from users"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most people with Parkinson\u2019s disease<\/a> who\u2019d experienced recurring falls found a personalized, home-based fall prevention program in Australia helpful for improving their safety and confidence.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s according to a new assessment of the six-month program, dubbed Integrate, which was shown to reduce fall rates by nearly half among participants over six months of follow-up.<\/p>\n

\u201cParticipants were motivated to engage with the programme to optimise mobility and reduce falls, despite challenges in forming new habits,\u201d the researchers wrote, adding that both patients and their care partners \u201cvalued the shared decision-making approach of expert therapists and skills learnt to improve the safety of their mobility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Delivered by occupational and physiotherapists, most from the University of Sydney, the program combined tailored steps for reducing fall hazard risks at home with targeted exercises for increased mobility and safer mobility strategies.<\/p>\n

This follow-up study found that increased awareness of fall risks and practical problem-solving skills encouraged long-term engagement among patients \u2014 motivating most participants to keep up with the strategies they learned. However, some individuals faced challenges such as apathy, motor fluctuations, or reluctance to appear as \u201cdisabled,\u201d the researchers noted.<\/p>\n

The study, \u201cAcceptability of a programme for safer mobility (INTEGRATE): Perspectives of people with Parkinson\u2019s disease and their care-partners<\/a>,\u201d was published in the journal Clinical Rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

Recommended Reading<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

A progressive disease, Parkinson\u2019s is marked by nerve cell death<\/a> that in turn causes alterations in gait, or a person\u2019s manner of walking, as well as slowed movement and other motor symptoms<\/a>. Cognitive deficits and other nonmotor symptoms<\/a>\u00a0are also common.<\/p>\n

Together, these features make people with Parkinson\u2019s vulnerable to falling, which can incur both physical and financial costs and impact daily life.<\/p>\n

\u201cFall prevention strategies that are effective across the disease spectrum are therefore urgently needed to reduce the fall-related healthcare needs of this growing population,\u201d the researchers wrote.<\/p>\n

After prevention program, fall rates dropped by nearly half<\/p>\n

In an earlier study, the same team of researchers had developed and implemented the personalized intervention<\/a> program Integrate for people with Parkinson\u2019s experiencing recurrent falls.<\/p>\n

The program highlighted strategies to make environments less hazardous and provided exercise and training for leg strength, balance, and freezing of gait. Occupational and physical therapists adjusted the strategies to meet the needs of each participant. During six months of follow-up, fall rates decreased by nearly half, data showed.<\/p>\n

While the initial study focused on feasibility, this new study sought feedback from participants and care partners. The researchers interviewed 18 participants and\/or their care partners and identified five key themes.<\/p>\n

One theme was the importance of program personalization \u2014 including therapists\u2019 flexibility and their ability to visit participants at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving someone come in to look at the home is useful because it mirrors the same activities and environment that I have to deal with every day,\u201d one participant said.<\/p>\n

It wasn\u2019t like a doctor-patient thing, it was very much a \u2018we\u2019re in this together\u2019 sort of thing.<\/p>\n

Another theme from the interviews was the collaborative nature of the program. Pairing expert knowledge with participant involvement in decision-making was generally effective, the researchers found.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t like a doctor-patient thing, it was very much a \u2018we\u2019re in this together\u2019 sort of thing,\u201d a participant said. Alongside this, collaboration helped establish support systems and accountability.<\/p>\n

However, when participants and their caregivers disagreed about the potential benefits of the program, the care partners were less able to encourage positive changes, the researchers found. For example, one participant expressed that he didn\u2019t see the benefit of the program when the disease would continue to progress regardless, while his care partner thought the program would make him stronger.<\/p>\n

Such discrepancies can lead to friction and reduce collaboration, the researchers noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis study \u2026 underscores the importance of involving people with Parkinson\u2019s disease and their care partners in shared problem solving and collaborative goal setting,\u201d the team wrote.<\/p>\n

Recommended Reading<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Study highlights \u2018the ease (or not) of making changes\u2019<\/p>\n

A third theme highlighted in the study was the ways that the program helped participants build capacity for safer mobility. Some participants felt the training made them more conscious of their movement, helping them avoid potential hazards.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s increased my awareness of not getting into situations where I used to before and put myself in danger,\u201d one participant said.<\/p>\n

Similarly, some patients said the training helped them develop their own strategies to stay safe in new situations.<\/p>\n

For others, however, it was difficult to maintain this awareness. Sometimes, the need or desire to do something prevented participants from implementing fall prevention strategies, the researchers noted.<\/p>\n

This variability played into a fourth theme \u2014 that navigating the risk of falling was complicated. Indeed, in detailing the program\u2019s results, the researchers noted \u201cthe ease (or not) of making changes,\u201d which manifested in different ways.<\/p>\n

Knowing that their condition would likely continue to deteriorate motivated some participants, but provided emotional or psychological barriers for others. Cognitive challenges could also make it more difficult to stick with plans, the researchers noted.<\/p>\n

Social and environmental factors further complicated participants\u2019 feelings about the program. For example, \u201csafer mobility strategies were sometimes conspicuous, and one participant expressed this was a barrier to using her strategies in public, as a friend had commented that it looked \u2018funny,\u2019\u201d the researchers wrote.<\/p>\n

Therapist support helped participants embrace program<\/p>\n

The final theme was that making changes to stay safer was often challenging, but generally not impossible. Some barriers were systemic, like the difficulties that people faced when trying to add ramps or rails to their homes. These changes could also be expensive, and not all participants could afford the modifications.<\/p>\n

With finite physical and cognitive energy, some participants felt they couldn\u2019t prioritize the program. Others felt that they developed habits throughout the program, reducing the energy they needed to invest in fall prevention.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s subconscious, I do it all the time, I don\u2019t even have to think about it,\u201d one participant said.<\/p>\n

Some patients welcomed the support of the therapists. While the reality of Parkinson\u2019s motivated many to adapt, \u201cempathy and support from therapists can help people adjust to changes as their needs evolve over time,\u201d researchers wrote.<\/p>\n

Together, participant and care partner feedback suggested that the program was \u201cacceptable\u201d to them, the team concluded. Future studies could investigate ways to address the barriers identified here, potentially strengthening interventions, the researchers suggested.<\/p>\n

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