Senior Balance Training News

The Journal of Neurophysiology resported thata recent study has been in the works that is working on on a way to “inoculate” seniors against falls. Those efforts appear to be paying off, according to recent reports.

For this study, researchers trained eight volunteers on a moveable platform, causing the participants to lose their balance. When walking across a vinyl floor with a hidden slippery spot, the group that had trained on the platform did not slip, and only one person lost balance. A control group of untrained balancers did not fare so well. Those who had trained on the platform also were able to control the slide of their feet much better than the control group.

Researchers beleive that seniors can be similarly trained to develop such fall-response skills, and that previous research has found that seniors are as able to learn new skills as younger adults.