Wii time improves balance, study reveals
They may keep you fit and give you a new lease of life.
A study shows that playing video games can help older people improve their balance and make them less likely to fall.
The research, led by Cathy Craig of Queen’s University Belfast in partnership with Trinity College Dublin, found that older people’s balance and gait was improved by playing specially developed video games using the Nintendo Wii balance board.
“Improving balance and gait can play an important role in helping older people avoid falls and injury as well as improving their mobility confidence,” said Ms Craig.
“The games designed in this project to build better balance were formulated with older people in mind. Older people who played the games enjoyed an improvement in both static and dynamic balance. This approach proved to be a fun way of achieving these benefits in a novel, stimulating and cost-effective manner.”
Bob Stout, co-chairman of the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (CARDI) said: “This research highlights an engaging way for older people to improve their balance and mobility, helping them to avoid falls and serious injury. This brings great personal benefits for older people and financial gains for society as a whole.”
The study, funded by the CARDI, tested the games on participants in Dublin and Belfast and found those who played them had significant improvements in balance control. The researchers concluded that such improvements in balance could play an important role in reducing the risk of falls in older adults.
About 300 older people die from falls in Ireland each year and many thousands are injured.
The economic cost of fractures and falls to health and social services is also significant and is estimated to be over €400m in the Republic. The costs associated with falls are predicted to rise as the population ages.
